RB Leipzig vs Man City Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2026-27 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
by Alex Lawes ·
The wildly inconsistent RB Leipzig continue their UEFA Champions League campaign with a clash against a stuttering Manchester City side at the Red Bull Arena.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV & online: UK – TNT Sports & HBO Max / USA – Paramount+
RB Leipzig preview: Extremes in Leipzig
RB Leipzig managed a comfortable 2-0 defeat of Schalke in the Bundesliga at the weekend as they now sit tucked inside the top four and the UEFA Champions League spots domestically, despite having conceded more than second-from-bottom Schalke.
Those defensive numbers are because they have been beaten 6-1, 3-1 and 2-0 in their three Bundesliga defeats, while also losing 4-1 in two of their UEFA Champions League matches, too.
Man City preview: A bit of a stutter
Manchester City were beaten 1-0 by Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League at the weekend. That defeat against The Seagulls came just a few days after they had managed to just about edge through against Albion on penalties in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
It was their second successive defeat in the league, having started with seven successive victories, after their winning start domestically had been ended by a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa about ten days or so ago.
RB Leipzig team news: Esteve a doubt
Former Burnley centre-back Maxime Esteve is a doubt for Leipzig for this one with the versatile Assan Ouedraogo remaining sidelined alongside striker Marc Guiu.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Vandevoordt; Henrichs, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Reitz, El Aynaoui, Banzuzi; Gruda, Romulo, Nusa
Unavailable: Ouedraogo (Injured), Guiu (Injured)
Questionable: Esteve (Injured)
Man City team news: Foden & Cherki to come in
It is surely the case that both Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki come back into the eleven with the pair left out from the start against Brighton. City remain without fellow attacker Antoine Semenyo, who has a knee injury that is expected to see him sidelined until mid-December.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Fernandez, Anderson; Foden, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
Unavailable: Semenyo (Injured)
Questionable:
RB Leipzig vs Man City prediction
RB Leipzig have lost by more than one goal on five occasions already this season, while also having managed to win by more then goal on five occasions, too. Tight games have been a rarity this season for the hosts. As for City, Enzo Maresca’s side have now managed just two victories inside 90 minutes, against Ipswich Town and then AEK Athens, in their last six games across all competitions. What will be a concern for the stuttering City is that Leipzig’s five defeats this season have all been away from home, with the Germans winning five out of five at the Red Bull Arena – and so perhaps siding with Martin Demichelis’ side may be a decent value bet here.
RB Leipzig vs Man City Tip: Double chance – RB Leipzig to win or draw
