Manchester City will aim to continue the unbeaten start to the 2024/25 season when they take on Slovan Bratislava at Tehelne Pole on Tuesday.
The games continue to come thick and fast across Europe, with the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season resuming with Matchday 2 this week. Manchester City will be in action on Tuesday, locking horns with Slovan Bratislava at Tehelne Pole.
Slovan Bratislava had to take the scenic route and three qualifying rounds to reach the UEFA Champions League, beating FC Midtjylland in the play-offs. However, the 2023/24 Slovak First Football League winners began their European campaign with a 5-1 defeat to Celtic on Matchday 1.
The result in the UEFA Champions League has not reflected in domestic football, with the Sky Blues cruising in the league title race and beating FK Belusa 6-1 in the Slovak Cup. As for Manchester City, they come into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United, with the Magpies coming close to beating them.
The Premier League holders also played out a stalemate in their UEFA Champions League opener, with Inter Milan holding them to a goalless draw. However, they are unbeaten thus far in the 2024/25 season, although they are a point behind Liverpool in the Premier League standings.
Tuesday’s clash will be the first-ever match featuring Slovan Bratislava and Manchester City. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the maiden meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Slovan Bratislava
Vladimír Weiss does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Manchester City on Tuesday, the Slovan Bratislava manager should have a full-strength squad, although Kenan Bajric is a doubt.
Dominik Takac will take his spot between the sticks, with Slovan Bratislava lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him against Manchester City. The backline should feature Cesar Blackman, Guram Kashia, Kevin Wimmer, and Jurij Medvedev.
As for the midfield unit, Danylo Ignatenko will likely sit at the base, with Juraj Kucka and Marko Tolic lining up alongside him in the middle of the park. The trio will look to keep things tight in the central areas while providing the forward thrust during transitions.
David Strelec should lead the line for Slovan Bratislava against Manchester City on Tuesday, with Vladimir Weiss Junior and Tigran Barseghyan being the two wide attackers. The trio must be clinical to catch Manchester City off-guard this midweek.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Takac; Blackman, Kashia, Wimmer, Medvedev; Kucka, Ignatenko, Tolic; Barseghyan, Strelec, Weiss Jr
Manchester City
Unlike his counterpart in the Slovan Bratislava dugout, Pep Guardiola has a few pressing fitness issues to deal with heading into the trip to Tehelne Pole. The Manchester City manager will be without four first-team players.
Rodri (knee) and Kevin De Bruyne (groin) are the most notable absentees, with the former likely done for the season. In addition, Nathan Ake is recovering from a hamstring injury that will keep him on the sidelines for a few more weeks, while Oscar Bobb (leg) will not return before January.
Manchester City will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Slovan Bratislava, with Stefan Ortega likely getting the nod over Ederson Moraes between the sticks. The backline should feature Rico Lewis, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, and Josko Gvardiol.
As for the midfield unit, Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic should pair up in the double pivot. Bernardo Silva will reprise the no. 10 role, with Savinho and Jeremy Doku being the two wide attackers. Finally, Phil Foden should lead the line for the away side against Slovan Bratislava.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol; Nunes, Kovacic; Savinho, Silva, Doku; Foden
Key Stats
- Tuesday’s match will be the first meeting in a major European competition between Slovan Bratislava and Manchester City. The hosts have won just two of their 12 matches against English opposition (D2 L8), losing the five most recent clashes. On the other hand, the Citizens will face off with a Slovakian side for the first time.
- Tuesday’s game will be Slovan Bratislava’s first-ever home match in the UEFA Champions League. However, the Slovakian outfit won all six European Cup home matches, with the club’s most recent outing coming against an English opposition – a 1-0 win over Derby County in September 1975.
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 11 UEFA Champions League away matches (W5 D6), winning four of their last five matches (D1). The current run is their longest ever on the road in the competition.
- Should Manchester City win or draw on Tuesday, they will equal the record for the longest unbeaten run in European Cup/UEFA Champions League history, with Manchester United holding the current benchmark (25 games between September 2007 and May 2009). Pep Guardiola’s men have won 16 and drawn eight of their last 24 matches in the Champions League.
- Tuesday’s match will be Pep Guardiola’s first game against Slovan Bratislava. The last time he lost his first outing against a side he had never previously faced as a manager was in September 2019, a 2-3 defeat to Daniel Farke’s Norwich City in the Premier League. Guardiola has won 27 of 28 games when facing a team for the first time since then (D1).
Player to Watch
Phil Foden
After a scintillating 2023/24 campaign, Phil Foden has yet to get into the rhythm in the first few weeks of the new season. Pep Guardiola gave the Englishman some time off, and the player is gradually getting into his groove.
Meanwhile, since the start of last season, Foden has been directly involved in the most goals following a carry of any player in the UEFA Champions League (five – two goals and three assists). Along with Jude Bellingham (3), his three assists are also the joint-most in the tournament in this period. The English attacker’s output will hold the key as the weeks wear on, and he will aim to get into his element this midweek.
Prediction
Slovan Bratislava 1-3 Manchester City
Tuesday’s match features two unevenly matches teams, with the gulf in class between them widening with every season. However, Rodri’s absence will hand Slovan Bratislava some openings, although they might only manage a consolation goal.
Manchester City should run riot at Tehelne Pole, with Phil Foden and Savinho making their mark. The Hard Tackle predicts a run-of-the-mill 3-1 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges to get a strike in the win’s column and kick-start a long run in the UEFA Champions League. As for Slovan Bratislava, they must go back to the drawing board.