Manchester City will face Sparta Prague tonight in the Champions League as they aim to solidify their position at the top of the group. Coming into this fixture, City have collected four points from two matches, beginning with a goalless draw against Inter Milan, followed by an emphatic 4-0 victory over Slovan Bratislava away in Slovakia. With the Etihad Stadium as the venue, Pep Guardiola’s side are the clear favorites, though Sparta Prague pose a real threat. The Czech side also sits on four points after defeating Red Bull Salzburg and drawing with Eintracht Frankfurt, making tonight’s clash crucial for both teams.
City are riding high, still unbeaten in all competitions this season, and they enter this game fresh from a dramatic late win against Wolves on Sunday. However, with a busy schedule ahead, Guardiola will be forced to rotate his squad. Injuries and fitness concerns will influence his lineup, especially as City are juggling matches across three competitions in the coming weeks.
The match kicks off at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast live on TNT Sports.
Will Haaland find his rhythm again tonight?
Erling Haaland, who had a blistering start to the season, has found himself increasingly isolated in recent games as defenders have doubled and even tripled up on him. Tonight, he’ll be eager for a return to form, but it will all come down to the support he gets. Ilkay Gundogan, once a reliable link to Haaland, has struggled to rekindle that partnership, while Kevin De Bruyne—the maestro in setting up the Norwegian—is still sidelined with injury.
Guardiola’s frustration with injuries is justified
Pep Guardiola didn’t hide his irritation when discussing injuries in his pre-match press conference. Though his comments focused on John Stones’ past injury with the England squad, it’s clear that the growing list of sidelined players is weighing heavily on him. Kevin De Bruyne, initially said to have only a minor issue, has been out for five weeks, and while Nathan Aké is back, Kyle Walker has returned from international duty nursing a knee injury.
Further compounding City’s problems, neither Jeremy Doku nor Jack Grealish was present in training. With key players missing, competition for places is shrinking, and those in the squad will need to raise their game.
City’s position in the Champions League
This evening’s clash marks City’s third game in the revamped Champions League group stage. Sitting comfortably on four points, City have yet to concede a goal in Europe this season, securing clean sheets in their games against Inter Milan and Slovan Bratislava.
Pep Guardiola has his sights set on securing maximum points from their three remaining home fixtures—tonight against Sparta, then Feyenoord next month, and Club Brugge in January. A perfect home record would bring City to 13 points, leaving them needing just a few more from away matches against Sporting Lisbon, Juventus, and PSG to reach the top eight. It’s estimated that 16 points will guarantee a spot in the knockout rounds and avoid a tricky February play-off. So while Sparta Prague might not seem the toughest opponent on paper, anything less than three points would put more pressure on City’s future away games.
With a win tonight, City could potentially rise to second in the group standings, though they’d need other results to fall their way.
Team news: key players missing
City will be without several key players tonight. Rodri and youngster Oscar Bobb are long-term absentees, and Guardiola has ruled out both Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker as their injury recoveries continue. There was further concern following yesterday’s training session, as neither Jeremy Doku nor Jack Grealish took part, making them major doubts for tonight’s game.
Here’s what we know about the team selection so far:
- Rodri and Oscar Bobb are definitely out.
- Kyle Walker will miss out due to a knee injury and didn’t train yesterday.
- Kevin De Bruyne trained on Tuesday, but Guardiola confirmed he won’t be playing.
- Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku missed training, casting doubt on their availability.
- Nico O’Reilly is likely to be called up to the senior squad after being absent from the Youth League match earlier in the day.
City may be short on numbers, but they’ll still expect to get the job done at the Etihad tonight.
