Manchester City vs. Sevilla: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info
Manchester City host Sevilla in the Champions League this week knowing a win is vital as they bid to make the last 16 for the third year running.
City are in decent form having scored 11 goals in their last two league matches, and they currently sit top of the Premier League table—two points ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side have been unconvincing so far in this season’s Champions League. They lost their first match at home to Juventus, before a shaky win away against Borussia Monchengladbach, a game that highlighted their defensive frailties. They are level on points with Sevilla in Group D after the opening two fixtures.
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Unai Emery’s squad arrive 13th in La Liga having won just two of their opening eight matches of the season. However, since their defeat to Juventus in their last Group D match, they have taken four points from two La Liga matches, including a win at home to Barcelona.
The back-to-back Europa League winners clearly have a system that works well in Europe, and City will be well aware of their quality.
Date: Wednesday, October 21
Kick-off: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET
TV Listings: BT Sport 2 / BT Sport 2 HD
Live Stream: n/a
Form Guide (last five results)
City
City 5-1 Bournemouth
City 6-1 Newcastle United
Borussia Monchengladbach 1-2 City
Tottenham 4-1 City
Sunderland 1-4 City (League Cup)
Sevilla
Eibar 1-1 Sevilla
Sevilla 2-1 Barcelona
Juventus 2-0 Sevilla
Sevilla 3-2 Rayo Vallecano
Las Palmas 2-0 Sevilla
"EMERY: "Some of the best players in the world are at the top six clubs in the world and you can mention City as one of those clubs."
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) October 20, 2015"
Predicted Formations
City
Pellegrini will once again be without Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Gael Clichy and Fabian Delph. Aguero is expected to be out for around a month, but the other three may well be back next week. Aleksandar Kolarov is back and could start having missed the weekend win over Bournemouth.
Possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Toure; Navas, Sterling, De Bruyne; Bony
"Watch - #MCFC boss Manuel Pellegrini on the importance of @ChampionsLeague home form: https://t.co/SjigvnMz4V pic.twitter.com/HkkfIueJse
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) October 20, 2015"
Sevilla
Sevilla will go into the game without former Chelsea man Gael Kakuta and Sergio Escudero, both of whom have muscle injuries. Daniel Carrico has a hamstring problem, and Fernando Llorente remains out.
Possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Rico; Coke, Rami, Kolodziejczak, Tremoulinas; N'Zonzi, Krychowiak; Reyes, Iborra, Vitolo; Gameiro
".@SevillaFC boss admits a draw might be a positive result for Wednesday's visitors. Read: https://t.co/3BupnbpqAf pic.twitter.com/EIOrA5pYmJ
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) October 20, 2015"
Players to Watch
City: Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure has spoken this week about what he sees as a lack of appreciation from the media, per L'Equipe (h/t PA and BT Sport).
His starting position may well be altered. He has spent this season playing a deep-lying role alongside Fernandinho, breaking forward far less than in previous seasons with City's new-look attack assuming the attacking responsibility.
However, with City perhaps looking to adopt a more cautious Champions League approach, some have suggested Fernando should start, which could see Toure given licence to go forward.
Wherever he starts the game, he is always a threat. Toure, 32, is seen by some as a player on the decline, but he remains a remarkable midfielder who blends pace, power, vision, intelligence and goalscoring ability.
Sevilla: Grzegorz Krychowiak
The Sevilla midfielder, Grzegorz Krychowiak, is making a real name for himself after switching from Reims in the summer of 2014.
His goal in last season's Europa League final saw him grab some headlines, and he ended the season by being named in the La Liga Team of the Year.
He has a superb ability to sniff out danger and nullify attacking threats. With City so reliant on their talented attacking midfielders, his role on Wednesday will be key.
Key Battle: Wilfried Bony vs. Adil Rami
It's not been the easiest start to life as a City player for Wilfried Bony, but the injury to Aguero means he's been presented with a chance to make up for lost time.
No sooner was his January move completed and he was whisked off to Equatorial Guinea to take part in the Ivory Coast's Africa Cup of Nations campaign. A knee problem saw his return complicated, and in the summer he contracted malaria. Pellegrini's switch from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 has also reduced his opportunities to play.
As a result, his form has been patchy. He's played just 692 minutes since his arrival 10 months ago. However, on Saturday against Bournemouth, he scored two goals and looked comfortable linking up with Raheem Sterling, who played centrally.
He is likely to be up against 29-year-old Adil Rami, Sevilla's former AC Milan man who signed for the Europa League winners in the summer.
The Frenchman, who has 26 caps, is a physical defender, one who certainly won't shy away from a tackle. He likes to get close to strikers and deny them space. Bony will have to utilise his ability to drop deep and move Rami around if he wants success.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
City: -159
Sevilla: +454
Draw: +277
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_.
