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2022/23 UEFA Champions League
Round of 16
First leg
RB Leipzig v Manchester City
Red Bull Arena
Leipzig, Germany
Wednesday, 22 February 2023
Kick-off is at 22h00
Manchester City will continue their quest for the holy grail when they face RB Leipzig in the
UEFA Champions League round of 16 at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday, February 22.
The Citizens have yet to lift the coveted trophy, although they came so close two years ago when they lost to Premier League rivals Chelsea in the final.
Pep Guardiola's side haven't quite hit their stride this season but they beat Arsenal 3-1 last Wednesday to reclaim top spot in the Premier League.
City also knocked the Gunners out of the FA Cup in the fourth round on January 27, however, they were eliminated by Southampton in the EFL Cup quarter-finals two weeks earlier.
The reigning eight-time English champions have uncharacteristically lost four matches this term, three of which came in their 10 encounters.
Meanwhile, the Red Bulls lost more ground in the Bundesliga title race after losing 2-1 to high-flying Union Berlin last Saturday.
Marco Rose's team were held to a 0-0 draw by FC Cologne prior to that and find themselves seven points adrift of league leaders Bayern Munich in fifth position.
The loss to the Billy Goats arrested an impressive 18-match unbeaten run across all competitions stretching back to Ocrober 1.
Christopher Nkunku was on fire in Germany prior sustaining a knee injury during training for France on November 15 which ruled him ouit of the World Cup. The 25-year-old forward bagged 12 goals in his first 15 league games and is expected to make his European comeback against City.
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Erling Haaland is scoring goals for fun in England's top flight and recently broke another record with his fourth hat-trick of the season against Wolves. The Norway international has bagged a phenomenal 26 goals in just 22 league appearances and another five in Europe.
In team news, Dani Olmo (thigh) and Abdou Diallo (knee) remain unavailable for the hosts, although Nkunku (knee), Marcel Halstenberg, Konrad Laimer (both adductor), Willi Orban and Caden Clark (back) have all returned to training and could feature at the Red Bull Arena. John Stones (thigh) is the only absentee for the visitors.
Rose is delighted to have Nkunku back, admitting he was solely missed in the opening month of 2023.
"It's great for us that Christo is available again. There's not many players in the world that are as talented as he is. Christo does things that you can't expect, because he's an impact player and immensely talented," the German said.
"He's got a good feel for when to make a run and can carry the ball into those one-v-one situations. He adds a lot to our game, and his absence has been felt by all of us."
Guardiola hailed the performances of Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne against Arsenal, with both players getting their names on the scoresheet. However, the Spaniard has challenged the duo to raise their game even further as they push for more silverware this term.
"Obviously Jack is playing really good," Guardiola said. "I'm not talking about decision making, we talk about his ambition or aggression.
"Attacking the backline, the quality was always there, but his commitment to take a risk and important decisions right now makes the difference. He has to continue [doing this].
"Kevin is playing really good too. It's like Jack, I'm so pleased for everyone, but I want more. I had the feeling Kevin can do more, and Jack can do more. They can do better."
Head-to-Head (Previous Champions League Meetings)
Matches - 2
Leipzig - 1
Man City - 1
Draws - 0
UEFA Champions League fixtures:
Tuesday, February 21
22h00: Liverpool v Real Madrid
22h00: Eintracht Frankfurt v Napoli
Wednesday, February 22
22h00: RB Leipzig v Manchester City
22h00: Inter Milan v Porto
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