Predicted Starting Line-Up: Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund (UEFA Champions League) | OneFootball

Manchester City return to European football action on Wednesday evening as Borussia Dortmund visit the Etihad Stadium in a spicy UEFA Champions League clash.

City head into this game after handing Bournemouth their first defeat in nine games on Sunday. In routine fashion, Erling Haaland led the team to victory with two calmly taken one-on-one chances. Nico O’Reilly slotted the ball into the net halfway through the second half to make sure all three points stayed in Manchester.

Except for a rare Gianluigi Donnarumma error leading to Tyler Adams’ goal, Pep Guardiola’s men played out one of their most comprehensive wins of the season so far. The 3-1 victory lifted City back up to second place in the Premier League table, six points off rivals Arsenal.

Manchester City’s last Champions League outing saw them beat Villarreal 0-2, leaving them level on points with Wednesday’s opposition: Borussia Dortmund. Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva were the goal scorers on that occasion.

Dortmund currently sit in third place in the Bundesliga and are unbeaten in Champions League action so far this season. They come into this game in fine form on the European stage, only Paris Saint-Germain have scored more. Niko Kovac’s side beat FC Copenhagen 2-4 with a brace from former City player Felix Nmecha sending them to victory.

Both sides made it through the league phase last season; City went no further than the play-offs, while Borussia Dortmund reached the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by Barcelona. This season, they both remain unbeaten; whether that continues remains to be seen.

This is how we predict Pep Guardiola will line his Manchester City side up this Wednesday night!

Predicted XI

There are few goalkeepers in the world more suited to a big night of European football than Gianluigi Donnarumma. The 26-year-old has already made himself one of the first names on the team sheet and is known to produce his best performances on the Champions League stage.

Matheus Nunes continued to prove his doubters wrong with another excellent display against Bournemouth. The Portuguese international did an exceptional job at defending against Bournemouth’s counterattacks; his pace could be the difference maker again on Wednesday night.

Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol have played with a renewed level of confidence in recent matches. Borussia Dortmund have been on fire in front of goal, scoring 12 so far in this European campaign, the duo will have to be at their brilliant best.

With a goal on Sunday, Nico O’Reilly has made himself look even harder to drop than he already did. Ryan Ait-Nouri can’t be considered completely ruled out, though, after picking up more minutes to shake off the rust against Bournemouth. O’Reilly has been performing at a consistently high level all season, and so should get the nod in this one.

Nico played arguably one of his best games in sky-blue on Sunday as he continues to improve game after game. With Rodri having only made his return to the squad on Sunday, a return to the starting line-up this soon is highly unlikely. Regardless Nico Gonzalez has done everything to earn a starting role on merit.

Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva partnered up against Bournemouth, and despite a slightly unsteady start the duo maintained control in the midfield extremely well, each playing a significant role in the win.

Manchester City’s new number 10 Rayan Cherki has made a return to starting action with an output of four goals and assists in two games.

The Frenchman has injected a level of excitement in City fans that few wingers have managed to in recent times. With his recent performances, Cherki should be in line for his first Champions League start since joining the club.

Omar Marmoush has experience of facing the opposition from his time at Eintracht Frankfurt; he has scored against them twice in the past. Having scored in his last start, Marmoush looks more than up to the test for this one.

Two goals in his last game, seventeen for the season. Erling Haaland’s place on the team sheet is all but guaranteed. Everyone remembers the sensational acrobatic goal he scored against his former team three years ago, he will no doubt be hoping to ruin the night of his former team once again on Wednesday night.

Starting XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Nico, Bernardo, Foden; Cherki, Haaland, Marmoush.

Substitutes: Trafford, Bettinelli, Lewis, Stones, Ake, Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Reijnders, Savinho, Doku, Bobb.