Monchengladbach vs. Manchester City: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Manchester City travel to Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday for their second match in this season’s Champions League.
City lost their opening game at home to Juventus and need to bounce back with a win against a side expected to struggle and finish bottom of the Group D table.
Three defeats in their last four games in all competitions has undermined City’s excellent start to the new campaign. They won their first five Premier League games without conceding a goal, but the loss to Juventus appears to have unsettled the side.
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The 4-1 loss to Tottenham on Saturday at White Hart Lane was the club’s heaviest defeat since the takeover by Sheikh Mansour in 2008. Not since their 8-1 battering away at Middlesbrough in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s final game in charge have City been so comprehensively beaten.
Gladbach are 14th in the Bundesliga table. They lost their first six league games, but two consecutive victories under new boss Andre Schubert have since steadied them.
Like City, they lost their opening Group D match, 3-0 away to Sevilla, meaning the loser of this match would face an uphill struggle to qualify for the last 16.
City would make history with a win: No English side has ever beaten Gladbach in their own stadium.
Date: Wednesday, September 30
Kick-off: 7:45 p.m. BST / 2:45 p.m. ET
TV Listings: BT Sport 2 (UK)
Live Stream: BT Sport (UK), FOX Soccer (U.S.)
Form Guide (last five results)
Gladbach
Stuttgart 1-3 Gladbach
Gladbach 4-2 Augsburg
Cologne 1-0 Gladbach
Sevilla 3-0 Gladbach (Champions League)
Gladbach 0-3 Hamburg
Manchester City
Tottenham 4-1 City
Sunderland 1-4 City (League Cup)
City 1-2 West Ham
City 1-2 Juventus (Champions League)
Crystal Palace 0-1 City
Predicted Formations
Gladbach
Martin Stranzl is the only player missing for Gladbach. Tony Jantschke is back in training and ready to play, and Schubert has no new injury concerns.
(4-4-2): Sommer; Korb, Jantschke, Nordteil, Wendt; Herrmann, Dahoud, Xhaka, Johnson; Stindl, Raffael
Manchester City
Manuel Pellegrini is missing six players for the trip to Germany. Captain Vincent Kompany is, arguably, the biggest loss. His calf problem is yet to clear up and he won’t be involved. Gael Clichy, Fabian Delph, Eliaquim Mangala, Wilfried Bony and Samir Nasri are also out.
"Pellegrini rules six out of #bmgvcity and @DeBruyneKev aims to improve on fast start. Read: http://t.co/Useclpam69 pic.twitter.com/Vmdohr4aia
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) September 29, 2015"
(4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Demichelis, Otamendi, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Fernando; De Bruyne, Toure, Silva; Aguero
Players to Watch
Gladbach: Tony Jantschke
Gladbach captain Jantschke is back from injury and ready to take his place in the heart of the Gladbach defence.
He was a key player in their qualification for the Champions League last season. He’s been at Gladbach throughout his career and has become synonymous with the German side since he made his debut in 2008 as an 18-year-old.
Jantschke isn’t the most-imposing defender physically, but he is quick, composed, a good passer of the ball and the leader of this Gladbach side.
Manchester City: Kevin De Bruyne
New signing Kevin De Bruyne has adapted to life as a City player with ease. The £55 million signing from Wolfsburg has scored three goals in three starts, and has looked completely at home playing for Pellegrini’s side.
His misplaced pass against Spurs on Saturday was costly, landing straight at the feet of Eric Dier, who equalised right before half-time, a goal which saw the momentum of the match swing firmly in the home side’s favour.
That moment aside, though, and De Bruyne’s start has been a huge success. His touch is wonderful, and his desire to command the ball and provide clever, creative passes has brought a new dimension to City’s play.
He knows Gladbach well having spent 18 months in Germany with Wolfsburg, and he will, undoubtedly, be a key player for Pellegrini on Wednesday evening.
“We are aware of his great ability, but will defend against him as we would anyone else,” said Schubert in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, according to the club's official site. “When he pops up in the spaces, the player in my team responsible for that space will fight him.”
Key Battle
Tony Jantschke vs. Sergio Aguero
It’s been a difficult season for Sergio Aguero. Having finished the last campaign as the Premier League’s leading goalscorer, he’s managed just two in all competitions so far this term.
It’s clear something isn’t quite right, particularly at White Hart Lane on Saturday where his movement was severely lacking. He’s missed a number of chances this season which an in-form Aguero would usually bury. He needs a big performance on Wednesday to kick-start his campaign.
Jantschke, a very capable defender who excelled last season, stands in his way. If Aguero can pull him into areas of the pitch he doesn’t need to be, and unsettle the Gladbach defence, he can get some joy on Wednesday night.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Gladbach: +550
City: -185
Draw: +291
"Laughter here as Manuel confirms he took the wrong passport to the airport earlier and had to go back for the right one! #bmgvcity
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) September 29, 2015"
Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.
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