RB Leipzig vs Manchester City

Red Bull Arena forms the backdrop for the first leg of an exciting Champions League last-16 tie between RB Leipzig and Manchester City.

Leipzig claimed a runner-up finish behind Real Madrid in a highly-competitive Group F to return to the Champions League knockouts after a year-long absence. ‘Die Roten Bullen’ cannot escape Premier League clubs in the round of 16, with their only previous last-16 ties pitting them against English heavyweights Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. After dispatching ‘Spurs’ in the 2019/20 round of 16 4-0 on aggregate, they lost both legs to the ‘Reds’ in 2020/21 by an identical 2-0 scoreline. Indeed, after winning their first three outings in the Champions League knockout stages, the Germans have lost the last three in a row without scoring. That said, Marco Rose’s men have won four straight games down the final stretch of this season’s Champions League group phase en route to setting an unprecedented feat in the club’s history. In addition to winning four consecutive matches in the competition for the first time, Leipzig ran out 2-1 winners in their only previous home meeting with Man City.

However, replicating that result looks far-fetched, with visiting Manchester City gunning for a long-awaited Champions League title on the back of a flawless Group G campaign (W4, D2). With an underwhelming 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest at the weekend leaving the ‘Citizens’ two points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal, Pep Guardiola’s men will be out to make amends. Back-to-back English champions have been nothing short of outstanding against German opposition in the Champions League of late, racking up 14 wins in their last 17 such match-ups (D2, L1). Though their only defeat in that run coincidentally came at the Red Bull Arena, it’s worth noting they already qualified for the knockout stages going into that fixture.