Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki both had to wait on the bench against Brighton. We think that wait ends in Leipzig, with Rico Lewis also coming in for the man whose mistake cost City on Saturday.
Man City go to the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday 4 November, with kick-off at 8pm GMT, after two straight Premier League defeats. RB Leipzig have scored 19 and conceded none at home this season, as we set out in our RB Leipzig vs Man City preview.
Enzo Maresca has only Antoine Semenyo missing, with the knee injury that will keep him out until December, and nobody is suspended. So every change here is a choice, and Foden‘s return is the one we’d make first.
Man City predicted lineup vs RB Leipzig
Man City predicted lineup vs RB Leipzig (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma, Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, Anderson, Bouaddi, Foden, Cherki, Doku, Haaland
Gianluigi Donnarumma: still Gigio plus 10
His passing out from the back against Brighton kept inviting pressure, and Geronimo Rulli’s shootout saves in the Carabao Cup keep the debate alive. Maresca’s line last Friday was clear, though: “There is no player who is undroppable but there is a moment where it is Gigio plus ten.” We don’t see that moment ending in Germany.
Rico Lewis: our biggest gamble
Matheus Nunes’s needless error let in Yasin Ayari for the winner on Saturday, having only just returned after missing the Villa and cup games. Lewis sat unused against Brighton, so he is fresh, and he set up two of Foden’s goals in the 5-1 win over AEK Athens.
The risk is real. Neither Lewis nor Abdukodir Khusanov has looked fully at home at right-back this season, and the defeat at Villa Park showed how much City can miss Nunes there. If Maresca sticks with Nunes, we wouldn’t be shocked.
Abdukodir Khusanov: pace for Leipzig’s breaks
Marc Guehi was left unused on Saturday after a rough few weeks, and we think he stays out. Leipzig’s second goal at Schalke came straight from a long pass and a counter, so Khusanov’s speed makes more sense here than it might in most games.
Ruben Dias: the safest pick in the back four
The captain was City’s most composed defender on Saturday and dealt with almost everything that came his way. With no clean sheet in six games, Maresca needs that calm more than ever.
Josko Gvardiol: a chance to respond
This was the closest call in defence. Gvardiol had a poor afternoon against Brighton and came off for Foden on 79 minutes, with Nico O’Reilly finishing the game at left-back. We still give Gvardiol the nod on a night like this, but O’Reilly is pushing hard.
Elliot Anderson: first name on the teamsheet
He was the best player on the pitch on Saturday, in and out of possession, and he also scored against AEK. “We have to bounce back for the Champions League game in a couple of days,” he said after the Brighton game. Nobody in this side is less likely to be rotated.
Ayyoub Bouaddi: strength beside Anderson
Bouaddi was the first to go when Maresca broke up his three physical midfielders after 55 minutes against Brighton, so Saturday doesn’t make the case for him. His European form does.
He started the 2-0 win at Porto, where Maresca said he “was never confused”, then came on at half-time against PSG and set up a Haaland goal as City recovered from 3-0 down to lose 4-2. Maresca’s own lesson from that night was that “against these teams you need to be quite strong in the middle.”
Phil Foden: too hot to leave out
Foden waited 10 months for a goal, then scored four in two games against Ipswich and AEK, including his first Champions League hat-trick. Maresca brought him on with 11 minutes left on Saturday. On the right of the three, with Iliman Ndiaye dropping out after missing City’s best chance, he should have a far bigger say.
Rayan Cherki: starts, but for how long?
Cherki changed the game when he came on for Bouaddi, and he had already led City’s comeback in the cup against the same opponents. The catch is that he has been taken off at half-time four times this season, including against PSG and at Villa Park.
Starting him with Foden isn’t risk-free either. They were both in the side that lost at Villa, and Maresca only went as far as this last Friday: “They can play together, for sure, depends on the game.” Against a side as strong at home as Leipzig, we think City need the guile, and having Bouaddi and Anderson behind them should give the pair some cover.
Jeremy Doku: width, if the end product comes
Doku kept causing Brighton problems until the final ball or shot, which let him down again and again. He keeps his place because he can pin Leipzig back when they want to break, though Allan hit the bar against AEK and is a live option.
Erling Haaland: four goals in two European games
He barely got a kick on Saturday, and his scoring run ended with it. In the Champions League, though, he has two against Porto and two against PSG from his only two appearances, as he stayed on the bench against AEK. Floyd Samba led the line in the cup, but this isn’t a night to rest City’s main man.
Who misses out, and who could change it?
Enzo Fernandez is the big name to drop. He came off on 64 minutes after a poor game against Brighton, and we can’t see room for him as well as Anderson, Bouaddi and Cherki unless Maresca goes for three in midfield again. Nunes, Guehi, Ndiaye, Allan, O’Reilly, Mateo Kovacic and Vitor Reis would give him plenty of options from the bench.
City also go to Nottingham Forest straight after this, before the international break, so there could be a surprise or two. Fernandez, Ndiaye and Nunes would all be fresh for that one, which is another reason this XI makes sense.
Man City predicted lineup vs RB Leipzig (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma, Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, Anderson, Bouaddi, Foden, Cherki, Doku, Haaland
