Both teams are meeting again after Manchester City's 3-1 victory at Stadion Wankdorf two weeks ago. Both teams are entering this match after dominant wins in their domestic leagues. Manchester City has followed the script in Group G, recording back-to-back 3-1 wins against RB Leipzig and Red Star Belgrade. A similar result in their previous encounter with Young Boys in Bern ensured they are at least guaranteed a third-place finish, but a victory would secure a spot in the last 16 for Pep Guardiola's team.
A draw would also be sufficient for the defending champions if Red Star Belgrade fails to upset RB Leipzig. As of matchday four, Manchester City is one of only four teams with a perfect record, alongside Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Real Madrid.
Manchester City has an impressive European record, having remained unbeaten in their last 16 top-level European matches since a notable defeat against Real Madrid in May 2022. They've also gone 27 Champions League games without a loss at the Etihad, a streak only surpassed by Liverpool with 30 matches.
Before their encounter with Young Boys, a young talent named Jeremy Doku made a significant impact, scoring a goal and providing four assists in a 6-1 victory over Bournemouth. This helped Manchester City rise to the top of the Premier League table.
Looking at Young Boys' history, it seems that the third time may not be the charm for them in the Champions League group stage. They previously participated in the 2018-19 and 2021-22 group stages but failed to secure a top-two finish.
Their only positive result in Group G so far was a 2-2 draw with Red Star Belgrade, and even that result was marred by a late equalizer. Defeats to City and Leipzig have left Young Boys with a difficult path to qualification.
Young Boys are only ahead of Red Star in the group due to a slightly cleaner disciplinary record, and their hopes of progressing will be dashed if they don't beat City and Leipzig secures a win against Red Star.
Historically, Young Boys have struggled to win Champions League group-stage matches on the road in their previous seven attempts. However, it's worth noting that they managed a creditable 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford in December 2021.
Young Boys prepared for their visit to the Etihad with a 4-1 win against Winterthur in their domestic league, even though they played the last 30 minutes with 10 men after a red card. Raphael Wicky, their coach, notably guided Basel to a 2-1 victory against Manchester City in March 2018, but lightning striking twice at the Etihad seems unlikely this week.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
During the match at the Etihad on Saturday, most of the unhappy faces were in the away stands. However, the joy of the Citizens was short-lived as concerns arose about Erling Haaland's injury. He had to be substituted at halftime after twisting his ankle, and now his availability for the upcoming match against Young Boys is in doubt.Pep Guardiola hasn't ruled out the possibility of Haaland playing midweek, but it would be surprising to see him risked ahead of the weekend's clash with Chelsea. Additionally, Sergio Gomez, the left-back, picked up an unspecified training injury and was seen using crutches over the weekend.
Kevin De Bruyne, dealing with a hamstring issue, completes the trio of injured players for the defending champions. In Haaland's absence, Julian Alvarez is expected to lead the attack, while Phil Foden and Jack Grealish are likely to step in and make the most of the opportunity.
On the other hand, Young Boys' situation is also a concern. Despite Lauper's suspension in domestic competition, it won't affect their participation in continental matches. However, Meschak Elia, an attacker, had to leave the field due to an injury in the last minutes of their weekend match and will need to be assessed before the trip to England.
Fortunately, it's not believed to be a serious issue, and Elia should be fit to lead the attack. On the downside, Kastriot Imeri, who has been dealing with a long-term ACL injury, is unlikely to play for the rest of the season. Additionally, Lukasz Lakomy is nursing a foot injury that might keep him out of action until after the next international break.
Captain Mohamed Camara is also walking a fine line this weekend, as another booking for the center-back would result in him missing Young Boys' potentially crucial match against Red Star in a few weeks.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Manchester City possible starting lineup:Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Walker, Rodri, Lewis, Grealish; Doku, Alvarez, Foden
Young Boys possible starting lineup:
Racioppi; Blum, Camara, Benito, Garcia; Males, Lauper, Monteiro; Ugrinic; Itten, Elia
EXPERT PREDICTION
Manchester City 4-1 Young Boys
The defending champions have been consistently winning 3-1 in their Group G matches, and it's possible that they could achieve the same attacking success this time. On the other hand, it may be too much to expect Young Boys to even score a consolation goal, considering their track record of not winning a Champions League group-stage away game. As a result, it seems likely that City will secure a spot in the last 16 by the end of this week's match.
