Manchester City and RB Leipzig will look to make it to the final eight of the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 when they face each other at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s men had to settle for a 1-1 draw after conceding a goal towards the end of the match. Riyad Mahrez had earlier given his side the lead in the tie. As both teams search for their first European title, we bring you some of the stats that could predict the outcome of the match.
A tight game in Germany
Manchester City were looking for a one-goal victory in the first leg in Germany. They scored the first goal early in the first half and then tried to score more in order to have an advantage over their opponents. However, Josko Gvardiol scored a header and kept his side in contention for making it to the next round.
RB Leipzig created 22 positional attacks and one counterattack in the last match. They attempted a total of seven shots and four were on target. The German side created most of the attacks from the left side and also attempted most of their shots from that particular side.
Manchester City, on the other hand, created 26 positional attacks and one counterattack. They attempted 12 shots and only managed to hit the target thrice. Most of the shots were attempted from the centre and Leipzig players blocked four shots. The positional attacks map shows that the majority of the attacks came from the right. However, the highest xG was generated from shots taken from attacks created on the left side.
Manchester City averages 37.29 positional attacks and 0.57 counterattacks per match in the UEFA Champions League. They also take 15.71 shots with a 40% accuracy rate. The team will look to be more creative and improve their numbers.
The attacking zones
Manchester City likes to keep the ball and rotate it by making a huge number of passes. They attempted 682 passes in the first match and had a high accuracy rate of 91.5%. The first viz above shows that most of the progressive runs came from the flanks for the defending English champions. By looking at the box penetrations we can observe that the players made more diagonal runs or pass into the penalty box. They try to make space inside the 18-yard box and deliver a key pass that often leads to a goal.
RB Leipzig were more creative from the left side. The players made most of the penetrations and progressive runs from the left flank. The German side kept 39.06% of the ball possession in the match and rotated the ball quite well. Despite having a lower possession rate, RB Leipzig managed to attempt 430 passes and had an 85.81% accuracy rate. They will look to put pressure on the opponents and stop them from building the momentum in this match.
Key players
Erling Haaland has failed to capitalise on his early-season form. He has been misfiring lately, and the manager needs his star striker to return to form if they want to win the UEFA Champions League. After scoring five goals in the group stage from 15 shot attempts, the Norwegian failed to hit the target in the last match. He only attempted a single shot and it was off-target. Erling Haaland has already played against the same opponents in Germany. He will look to make use of his speed and strength inside the penalty box and get on the end of a few passes. Manchester City’s race for the title depends a lot on Erling Haaland’s form.
Team news
Manchester City have no new injury concerns. Pep Guardiola is likely to go with the strongest line-up.
Christopher Nkunku will be a big miss for the German club. Peter Gulacsi, Abdou Diallo, and Xaver Schlager also miss out due to injuries.
Betting analysis
As per the 1×2 betting odds, Manchester City are the favourites to qualify for the next round. They have an odds of 1.36 to win the match. RB Leipzig are the least favourites to take three points away from the Etihad. They have an odds rate of 8.2 to win the match. This is expected to be an open game. The last match ended with just two goals. Expect the over lines to thrive in this match.
Manchester City will go with full force in their quest for a maiden European title. RB Leipzig stopped them from winning the last match and will look to create an upset. Both teams have set eyes on this major trophy and this makes this a more interesting match. The English champions will remain the favourites to win at their home.
Visuals via Wyscout and the TFA data viz engine