Manchester City are at risk of suffering three straight defeats for the first time since the 2017-18 season as they travel to Portugal for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon.
The visitors are also dealing with some turbulence, but off the pitch rather than on it, as they prepare to part ways with manager Ruben Amorim, who is set to take over at Manchester United.
City supporters might have been feeling optimistic heading into Saturday’s Premier League match against Bournemouth, especially after hearing that Arsenal had dropped points at Newcastle, giving City the chance to move eight points clear of the Gunners.
However, Pep Guardiola’s side suffered a shock 2-1 loss to the Cherries, with goals from Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson sealing the win before Josko Gvardiol's late consolation.
With Liverpool capitalizing on City’s slip-up by coming from behind to beat Brighton, Guardiola’s men now find themselves two points behind the Reds in second place in the Premier League. This comes just days after they were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Tottenham Hotspur, adding to the sense of frustration surrounding their form.
Despite those setbacks, City have been in strong form in the Champions League, winning their first two group-stage matches with dominant victories over Slovan Bratislava (4-0) and Sparta Prague (5-0), after a goalless draw with Inter Milan on matchday one.
City have now gone a record 26 consecutive games in the Champions League without losing in normal time or extra time, a run that could be under threat with a tough trip to Lisbon.
Sporting Lisbon, meanwhile, are going through a period of uncertainty with Amorim’s departure looming. The Portuguese coach will soon take charge of Manchester United after the international break, but he’ll be looking to sign off from Sporting in style with a win over City. Despite some reports of discontent from Sporting’s high-profile players over Amorim’s decision, the team has been in excellent form, winning all 10 of their Primeira Liga matches this season.
Sporting’s recent form was on full display when they thrashed Estrela Amadora 5-1 on Friday, maintaining their perfect start to the league season and holding an unassailable lead at the top.
In the Champions League, Amorim’s side have earned seven points from their first three matches, defeating Lille and Sturm Graz while drawing 1-1 with PSV Eindhoven. That leaves them in eighth place in the 36-team table, just five spots behind City on goal difference.
This marks the first time the two sides have met since their memorable 2021-22 last-16 encounter, where City won 5-0 at the Etihad before Sporting managed a goalless draw in the return leg at home. Now, with Sporting on a superb run of form, they will be hoping to pull off an upset against a Manchester City side who are struggling to hit their best form.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Guardiola’s fears that he might only have 13 players available for the Bournemouth match didn’t fully materialize, as Savinho, Jeremy Doku, Kyle Walker, and Kevin De Bruyne all made it into the matchday squad after recovering from injuries. However, none of them are fully match fit yet.
The City manager has confirmed that defensive pair Ruben Dias and John Stones are both out for a "little bit of a long time" with injuries, adding to the already existing list of absentees: Rodri (ACL), Oscar Bobb (leg), and Jack Grealish (undisclosed injury).
Neither De Bruyne nor Savinho, who was stretchered off with an ankle injury in the Tottenham defeat, featured in the game against Bournemouth, and it’s likely that Walker, who had a tough time against the Cherries, will make way for Rico Lewis in the next match.
On the Sporting side, coach Amorim only has two injury concerns: 22-year-old defender Eduardo Quaresma, who is out with a muscle issue, and long-term absentee Nuno Santos, who is expected to miss the rest of the year with a knee injury.
Sporting’s Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres, who was directly involved in four of his team's five goals in their dominant win over Estrela, has reportedly caught the attention of Manchester City’s hierarchy as a potential future target, should Erling Haaland ever leave. Gyokeres has been in sensational form this season, scoring 20 goals in just 17 matches, and he’s been clinical in European competition, netting in all four of his home starts for Sporting.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Israel; Inacio, Diomande, Debast; Quenda, Braganca, Hjulmand, Araujo; Trincao, Gyokeres, Goncalves
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Silva, Kovacic, Gundogan; Doku, Haaland, Nunes
EXPERT PREDICTION
Sporting Lisbon 1-1 Manchester City
All eyes will be on the showdown between two in-form Scandinavians, Viktor Gyokeres and Erling Haaland, when City face Sporting on Tuesday. This clash in Lisbon is set to live up to the hype as Amorim looks to bow out on a high note with his side.
That said, a wounded Manchester City is still a formidable opponent. Despite Sporting’s excellent form in the league this season, Guardiola’s team has the ability to match their intensity and could fight fire with fire to come away with a hard-earned point.
