Manchester City travels to Portugal to play Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League with an uncommon run of three straight losses on the line; the first since the 2017-18 season. The English champions, managed by Pep Guardiola, look to shake off recent poor form while their opponents Sporting Lisbon feel exalted, managed by Ruben Amorim, whose managerial career at Sporting will shortly head to a new chapter as he gets ready to join Manchester United.
Match Preview
Manchester City made their way to the Vitality Stadium over the weekend with the hope of increasing their advantage over fellow Premier League contenders Arsenal. They left with a shocking defeat, 2-1, to Bournemouth, by goals from Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson despite a late consolation goal by Josko Gvardiol. That defeat has come on the back of an exit in the EFL Cup against Tottenham, denting further the wins momentum of City. Although City is still carrying the brilliant Champions League record this season, beating Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague, they are now trailing two points behind Liverpool in the Premier League after their world-record 32-game unbeaten run came to a miserable end.
At the other end of the spectrum, Sporting Lisbon remains in excellent shape after a faultless start to their Primeira Liga campaign with a resounding 5-1 victory over Estrela Amadora that saw them grab their 10th consecutive win. Amorim’s side has made an equally brilliant start in Champions League action, with seven points from three games, including victories over Lille and Sturm Graz, with a draw with PSV Eindhoven. For Sporting, the visit of Manchester City to Estadio Jose Alvalade represents an opportunity to prolong their unbeaten record and gain revenge for the 5-0 defeat they suffered at home in the last-16 meeting of the 2021-22 Champions League.
Team News
Manchester City
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola has to find his way out of a selection headache with many key players still injured. Ruben Dias and John Stones remain out; each one with long stretches of recovery periods. Rodri, Oscar Bobb, and Jack Grealish will also not feature in the team due to injury. As a matter of fact, Kevin De Bruyne, Savinho, Kyle Walker, and Jeremy Doku recently came back to the squad, but De Bruyne and Savinho were not used in the Bournemouth match. Rico Lewis may be given the nod ahead of Walker, who struggled over the weekend.
Sporting Lisbon
Ruben Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon are without key duo Eduardo Quaresma and long-term absentee Nuno Santos. The visitors should also pose a major threat up front through forward Viktor Gyokeres, who has already netted 20 goals in 17 outings this term and is reportedly on Manchester City’s radar.
Predicted Lineups
Manchester City
Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Silva, Kovacic, Gundogan; Doku, Haaland, Nunes
Predicted Sporting Lisbon lineup:
Israel; Inacio, Diomande, Debast; Quenda, Braganca, Hjulmand, Araujo; Trincao, Gyokeres, Goncalves
Prediction
Manchester City may have only just lost their oomph lately, but the way they usually react in the Champions League will make them a force to be reckoned with. With the stellar home form Sporting Lisbon have shown lately, it will be a well-contested draw or narrow win for the Portuguese side.
Prediction: Sporting Lisbon 1-1 Manchester City
