Manchester City FC
vs
Borussia M nchengladbach
Stadion im Borussia-Park
30 September 2015 1945 hours UTC
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English powerhouse Manchester City will square up to German side Borussia M nchengladbach in a crucial Group D clash that is a must win for both sides following their losses in their respective group openers. The clash promises to be an exciting encounter – M nchengladbach’s team has been favourite picking grounds for major league sides across the world when they go hunting for talent while City’s impressive, star-studded lineup needs no introduction. THT previews the clash.
Team news, Tactics and Predicted Lineups
Manchester City
The English side were steamrolling everyone in their path till their paths crossed with Italian Champions Juventus in their Group D opener. The Old Lady inflicted a 2-1 defeat on City at the Etihad Stadium as last season’s European runners up picked at City’s flaws and punished them. The defeat has set into motion a string of losses with both West Ham and Tottenham Hotspurs taking away maximum points from City, the latter inflicting a crushing 4-1 defeat in the process. The loss to Juventus will mean City need to win this match to keep their Champions League campaign on track as a loss could make the going really very tough. City are, however, notorious in their failings at the European stage. Their history and current string of losses is compounded by injuries and form issues to key personnel. Captain and star defender Vincent Kompany hobbled off with a calf injury against Juventus and is unlikely to be fit in time for the game at Borussia-Park. Yaya Toure, who went off the boil towards the end of last season started the new season in decent touch but had to be replaced in the loss to Spurs after tweaking his hamstring. There are conflicting reports over the midfielder’s availability for the fixture but it will need to be seen if Pellegrini would risk bringing him back so soon or if he can afford the luxury to not play the Ivorian. Bony, Mangala, Clichy and Delph will also continue their stay on the sidelines in the injury list. David Silva, who last played in the home loss to Juventus has also been missing with a calf injury but returned to training on Tuesday sparking rumours that he may make the trip to the Rhineland for the European fixture. Joe Hart missed the Spurs game through a back injury as well but is expected to be back between the sticks on Wednesday when his side squares up to M nchengladbach.
From the start of the season, all eyes have been on City’s maquee signings, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne. Sterling’s European debut for City was marked with two misses at close range off bona fide goalscoring opportunities and he would be closely watched as far as European performances go. It is also likely that after his performance in the previous game, Pellegrini might put him on the bench in favour of the more experienced Samir Nasri. The Frenchman’s inclusion becomes all the more important if Yaya Toure is expected to miss the game as Fernandinho just doesn’t seem to provide either the control or the spark in the final third as Toure and Nasri respectively do. Kevin De Bruyne has been more prolific for his side, having scored in the last three league games for Pellegrini’s side, yet his inability to score at the Borussia-Park while playing for both Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg may be at the back of his mind as he heads back to Germany.
Pellegrini might need to consider playing Fernando in front of his weakened defense to provide some cover at the cost of having reduced men further up the field. In an away game, most teams choose the prudent option of playing for the draw and City do not seem in a position mentally or in terms of personnel availability to really play for the win.
Probable XI (4-1-3-2): Hart; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Demichelis, Kolarov; Fernando; Nasri, Fernandinho, Silva; Aguero, De Bruyne
Borussia M nchengladbach
Gladbach seem to be headed in a direction opposite to that of their Wednesday night rivals. The German side that made a spectacular effort last season to finish third and qualify for the top European competition started this season on a dismal note. Six losses in as many games cost coach Lucien Favre his place but ever since then Gladbach have been on the road to revival. Under caretaker coach Andre Schubert, Gladbach opened their account in the Bundesliga by beating Augsburg and then heaped misery on Stuttgart to complete back-to-back wins. It is still early days though and the German side is not yet out of the woods but the two wins and no significant injury worries would have all the players pumped up and ready as Champions League football returns to Borussia-Park after a gap of over 37 years.
Gladbach, like Manchester City, had a far from perfect start to their European campaign as they lost 0-3 away to Seville on the opening night. They would obviously be wary of City and their star studded lineup but the confidence afforded to them of playing on their home turf and City’s recent failures on the pitch would mean that viewers can expect Schubert’s side to initiate attacks rather than sit back and absorb their English rivals’ attacks.
The Gladbach lineup does not boast superstars like City’s and in fact the only name that followers of English football might recognise would be Thorgan Hazard, younger brother of Chelsea star, Eden Hazard, who moved over from, Stamford Bridge only this year. Another name that may be familiar to some Premier League fans would be defender Andreas Christiansen, who is on loan from Chelsea.
Schubert would be reluctant to touch his side that started against Stuttgart on Saturday but it is likely he would still replace Nordtveit with Dominguez to provide more solidity to defense and an extra insurance cover against the speed of Kevin De Bruyne, whom the Germans consider a major threat going into the game. Martin Stranzl is still on the sidelines with a fractured eye socket, while fellow defender Tony Jantschke is a doubt because of a thigh injury.
Probable XI (4-4-2): Sommer; Korb, Christensen, Dom nguez, Wendt; Herrmann, Dahoud, Xhaka, Johnson; Stindl, Raffael
Key Facts:
- M nchengladbach have never lost to English opponents at home (W4 D1 L0).
- The last time M nchengladbach played City was in the UEFA Cup in 1979 when they defeated the latter 4-2 en route to winning the cup.
- Manchester City have been drawn with a German side in each of their five Champions League Group Stage campaigns.
- City have won only once on their Champions League trips to Germany, against Bayern Munich last season.
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Match Prediction
Manchester City 2 Borussia M nchengladbach 1
Manchester City have a weak defense and their morale may be a bit low at the moment but they have the potential and firepower to bag all three points at the Borussia-Park. Albeit, the historical odds are stacked against them.
Player to watch out for
Kevin De Bruyne
Ever since completing his high profile transfer to Manchester City this summer, De Bruyne has been prolific for his new club and it is a good thing in light of Aguero’s sudden inability to put the ball into the back of the net. However, the youngster has never scored at Borussia-Park during his stays at both Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen and this would be a monkey he would want to get off his back sooner rather than later. A goal from the Belgian might well make the difference between a victorious night and a disappointing one for Manchester City as they add another leaf to their sordid German affair in the Champions League
