Champions League: Manchester City face Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig at Etihad; Porto host Inter Milan
Champions League: Manchester City face Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig at Etihad
Manchester City will have a stern test in their hand as they take on German giants RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, March 14 evening. The affair evenly poised at 1-1 will see both teams have a shot at a place in the last eight, but it is Pep Guardiola’s men who will stand with an advantage with the home crowd backing the team. In the evening’s other match, two-time champions Porto will host Inter Milan in Portugal.
City have at least reached the last four of the competition in previous seasons and will look to build on that success. The Champions League remains the only trophy missing from the City cabinet at the moment as they have tasted success on all fronts. While the domestic season is still in the balance for City, they will look to bring their mojo into the European competition.
The Premier League (PL) champions are currently second in the domestic league and have the firepower of Riyad Mahrez, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden. Traditionally, there is not much that separates the two sides with both teams winning one match each in three previous meetings.
RB Leipzig have lost their previous three visits to England and will look to bring their domestic form to the table. Marco Rose’s men are third in the Bundesliga standings are sit only behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The German side will try to reach the last eight stage yet again with aspirations of winning the title. Their best performance in the competition came in 2020 when they exited the semifinal stage.
In the other key battle of the evening, three-time champions Inter Milan will travel to Portugal with a 1-0 advantage from the first leg. Their quest against Porto will not be an easy affair as the two-time champions will have the backing of the home fans. It is not since 2011, that Inter have reached the last of the Champions League and will look to return to the summit along with city rivals AC Milan, who already are in the last eight.
