Champions League
Conference League
Premier League
Published on Nov, 05 2024
Manchester City hope to snap a two game losing streak when they take the field in UEFA Champions League play on Tuesday, but it will be no easy feat against an in-form Sporting Lisbon team and their outgoing manager Ruben Amorim, who has the chance to make a statement before taking charge at Manchester United next week.
Both teams have seven points from their first three games, putting them in the league phase's top eight spots coming into Matchday 4. The teams are in contrasting form, though – Sporting are unbeaten to start the season, while City's two losses in the last week ended their own unbeaten run. It perhaps creates ideal circumstances for Sporting and Amorim, who each have a point to prove in one of the most anticipated Champions League games of the week.
How to watch and odds
City's unbeaten run to start the season officially came to an end on Wednesday with a loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup, but they added another defeat to the record with a 2-1 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday. The pair of games featured imperfections that have plagued City all season, which have finally cost them in some consequential games.
The reigning English champions are becoming increasingly wasteful with their chances, losing the expected goals battle against Bournemouth despite outshooting the opposition. It is a growing trend for City, who have generally survived such inconsistencies, in part because they're still scoring at similar rates – they have 21 goals in 10 league games this season, just one short of last season's total at the same time. The margins of their victories are getting tighter, though – they've conceded 11 goals in Premier League action so far, up from seven at this point last year.
Such performances could be the natural consequence of having to spend the season without Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, who is rightly considered the glue in Pep Guardiola's dominant team. As City aim for trophies in England and Europe, though, they will have to figure out a way out of this malaise of the last few weeks. Guardiola will still have a handful of stars available to him, not least of which is Erling Haaland, who has 14 goals in 14 games this season.
Ederson, Walker, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Foden, Silva, Gundogan, Nunes, Haaland
City are unlikely to beat their best on Tuesday considering their recent form, setting up for a fairly competitive game in Lisbon. Expect both sides to have their moments but cancel each other out in the end, taking a point each and a level of satisfaction by the final whistle. Pick: Sporting Lisbon 1, Manchester City 1
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