RB Leipzig vs Man City LIVE Champions League result, final score and reaction tonight
Manchester City lost to RB Leipzig in the final Champions League Group A fixture on Wednesday night
RB Leipzig struck in each half to beat already-qualified Manchester City 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday, booking a spot in the Europa League and snapping the English club’s 14-game unbeaten run against German teams in the competition.
With interim coach Achim Beierlorzer on the bench after the sacking of Jesse Marsch on Sunday, Leipzig secured third spot in Group A on the final matchday ahead of Club Brugge, who lost 4-1 at second-placed Paris St Germain.
City, with seven changes to the team that beat Watford in the Premier League at the weekend, defended high but Dominik Szoboszlai managed to break clear and latch onto a Konrad Laimer ball to round goalkeeper Zack Steffen in the 24th minute.
The hosts came close to a second but first Emil Forsberg’s shot was blocked by Steffen and a little later the City keeper made a reflex save to deny Andre Silva from point blank range.
His Leipzig counterpart Peter Gulacsi responded with a superb save of his own in the 40th, getting his fingers to a Phil Foden shot to direct it onto the post.
City looked livelier after the break but Leipzig scored against the run of play with Silva’s well-placed shot in the 71st after City clumsily lost possession in their own half.
The visitors did respond six minutes later with Riyad Mahrez’s diving header for his fifth goal in six Champions League games but their comeback was short-lived with Kyle Walker being shown a red card for kicking Silva from behind.
RB Leipzig vs Man City: De Bruyne must fight for place
Kevin De Bruyne makes his first start for Manchester City this evening after missing four games due to testing positive for Coronavirus and Pep Guardioala has told the 30-year-old that he must “come back and fight for a position like everyone else”. Guardiola added:
Kevin doesn’t have to show absolutely anything to me,
"But he has to come back to being himself and show himself he’s back - and do what he has to do, like he has done the last five or six years, every single three days.”
RB Leipzig vs Man City: Last time out
The last time these two teams met Manchester City won 6-3 at the Etihad stadium. It was on the first matchday of these year’s Champions League competition and three of City’s five goalscorers at in the starting XI tonight.
Nathan Ake, Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish all scored in City’s victory as did Joao Cancelo and Gabriel Jesus who are both rested for tonight’s game.
Leipzig’s three goals were all scored by Christopher Nkunku who starts for the home side too.
RB Leipzig vs Man City: Guardiola on team changes
Pep Guardiola hinted that he would be making quite a few changes when he spoke to the press yesterday but he has still named a very strong team to face RB Leipzig.
Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish all start with the five teenagers in the squad settling for places on the bench. Guardiola says he will use this match as an opportunity to improve his players and get them accustomed to his style of play. He said:
Of course, all the guys who play tomorrow want to win. We have respect for the competition. Every game is a good opportunity to improve and there are many things we can do better."
RB Leipzig vs Man City: Jack Grealish deserves time to learn Pep Guardiola’s unique football language at Manchester City
Manchester City enjoyed a near-perfect evening on Saturday with a 3-1 win that sent the champions back to the top of the league, yet Jack Grealish could be forgiven for leaving Vicarage Road in a huff.
Grealish was deployed in an unfamiliar false nine role and he was heavily involved in much of City’s attacking play, linking with the carousel of skilful technicians Pep Guardiola had picked.
On the ball he was determined and persistent and was perhaps a little unlucky not to score, thwarted by an excellent Daniel Bachmann save in the first half and the crossbar in the second. But more revealing was to watch Grealish when the ball was nowhere near him.
Jack Grealish deserves time to learn Pep Guardiola’s unique football language
Pep Guardiola gave Jack Grealish his full spectrum of tough love from the sidelines at Watford but it was the sort of match that will only help the £100m signing eventually find his feet in City blue
RB Leipzig vs Man City: Team changes
Pep Guardiola makes seven changes to the Manchester City starting XI that beat Watford at the weekend. Zack Steffen replaces Ederson in goal with John Stones, Nathan Ake and Oleksandr Zinchenko all joining Kyle Walker in defence.
Kevin De Bruyne returns to midfield as does Fernandinho who slots in alongside Ilkay Gundogan. Up top Riyad Mahrez joins Jack Grealish and Phil Foden in a front three.
RB Leipzig vs Man City: Line-ups
RB Leipzig XI: Gulacsi, Mukiele, Klostermann, Gvardiol, Angelino, Kampl, Laimer, Nkunku, Szoboszlai, Forsberg, Andre Silva
Man City XI: Steffen, Walker, Stones, Ake, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Foden, Grealish
RB Leipzig vs Man City
Manchester City are unbeaten in their last six away Champions League games against German opposition, winning each of the last four.
RB Leipzig vs Man City: City turn to youth
Manchester City have included five teenagers in the squad that has gone to Germany to close out the Champions League group stages and Pep Guardiola says that the five substitutions allowed in the competition allows them the chance to impress this evening.
Academy players Cole Palmer, James McAtee, Romeo Lavia, Joshua Wilson-Esbrand and Conrad Egan-Riley will all make the trip and are likely to feature at come point.
RB Leipzig vs Man City: Group A standings
Manchester City have already qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League after their 2-1 victory over PSG on Matchday Five secured them the top spot in Group A.
PSG are also through as they have a four point lead over both RB Leipzig and Club Brugge. That means this fixture presents Pep Guardiola a chance to rest key players ahead of a busy December and to get some players, like Kevin De Bruyne, back up to match fitness.
Expect a few changes for Man City tonight.
Man City team news: Kevin De Bruyne to play against RB Leipzig
Pep Guardiola has warned that Kevin De Bruyne will need to fight to win back a regular place in the Manchester City side, reports PA.
The Belgium playmaker has had a frustrating start to the campaign. He initially lacked match fitness after injuries robbed him of a pre-season before other knocks and a recent spell out with coronavirus prevented him building any momentum. He returned to action as a second-half substitute in the champions’ Premier League victory at Watford on Saturday but competition for starting spots at City is fierce.
City manager Guardiola said: “Kevin played all the season from the beginning. He arrived after the Euros in a difficult condition and he played and played and played. After that he got coronavirus. Now he has to come back and fight for a position like everyone else.
“Kevin doesn’t have to show absolutely anything to me but he has to come back to being himself and show himself he’s back, and do what he has to do. Like he has done the last five or six years, every single three days.
“Of course the competition is so necessary and he knows it, but Bernardo (Silva) knows it, and (Ilkay) Gundogan knows it, and all the wingers and strikers know it. They know they have to play good, (whether) playing five minutes, 10 minutes or 90 minutes.”
De Bruyne has been told he will start, however, in Tuesday’s final Champions League group game at RB Leipzig.
Kevin De Bruyne warned he must ‘fight for a position’ at Man City
The Belgian playmaker has been out most recently with coronavirus but will start against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday
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