Manchester City welcome AEK Athens to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday evening, looking to return to winning ways in the Champions League.
Manchester City returned to winning ways on Saturday by defeating Ipswich Town 3-2 at home. However, the result did little to erase concerns raised by their 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, when the European champions dominated large periods of the contest at the Etihad Stadium, although that does not negate the impressive second half performances from Enzo Maresca’s side.
Erling Haaland continued his excellent scoring run by finding the net for an eighth consecutive match. Nevertheless, Manchester City were made to work hard against the promoted visitors and showed defensive vulnerability by conceding twice, largely due to Marc Guehi’s critical errors.
Maresca’s side will be confident of improving their Champions League record against Greek opposition. Manchester City are unbeaten in their last four matches against Greek clubs in the competition, recording three victories and one draw without conceding a goal.
Meanwhile, AEK Athens had enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season before losing 3-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk in their most recent Champions League match. The defeat was their first inside 90 minutes this campaign and the first time they had conceded three goals in a competitive match since April.
Marko Nikolic’s side will now face one of the strongest teams in the competition, with AEK’s position in the early league-phase table making the fixture even more important. The Greek outfit will need to defend with greater discipline if they are to avoid another heavy defeat. AEK have struggled against English opposition in the Champions League, losing seven of their last eight matches against teams from England.
Erling Haaland is expected to be rested on Tuesday despite scoring in the weekend victory over Ipswich Town. There were injury fears at the end of the Ipswich Town win, although Maresca has since dismissed any fears and insisted the Norwegian could be available. With Manchester City facing a demanding run of fixtures, Maresca could rotate his squad and give the Norwegian forward a break.
Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes were withdrawn during the weekend match with apparent injuries, although neither player has been ruled out. Antoine Semenyo is out for two months with a knee problem, thus dealing a massive blow for Maresca’s plans, while Nico O’Reilly is expected to miss the match because of a back injury.
Ayoub Bouaddi could retain his place in central midfield after starting at the weekend and partner up with Elliot Anderson, who was only a substitute at the weekend. Phil Foden may retain his place in the No.10 role, although it could be Floyd Samba who might deputise for Haaland from the start and lead the line for Manchester City.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Bouaddi, Anderson; Cherki, Foden, Ndiaye; Samba
AEK have had a full week to prepare for their trip to Manchester and should be able to select their strongest available side. Luka Jovic and Barnabas Varga are expected to lead the attack after scoring four league goals each this season.
Zini has also made an encouraging contribution, scoring twice in the league. However, none of AEK’s main attacking threats have found the net in the Champions League proper, and they will need to improve that record at the Etihad Stadium.
Nikolic is likely to retain a 4-4-2 formation, with Mijat Gacinovic and Roberto Pereyra offering support from midfield. AEK are expected to defend in a compact shape before attempting to exploit space behind Manchester City’s defensive line.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Brignoli; Rota, Moukoudi, Relvas, Pilo; Majer, Kairinen, Marin, Vitalis; Varga, Jovic
Phil Foden could be handed a more pivotal role, giving the England international an opportunity to be the leading man in Manchester City’s attack. His movement between the lines and ability to combine with the attacking midfielders could cause major problems for AEK’s defence.
Foden will be expected to take greater responsibility in the final third, particularly if Manchester City rotate several of their regular forwards. His creativity and movement could be decisive against an AEK side likely to defend deep for long periods.
Manchester City have looked vulnerable defensively in their last two matches, conceding four goals against Paris Saint-Germain before allowing Ipswich Town to score twice. AEK’s rested players and established strike partnership could cause problems if the hosts fail to control the game.
However, Manchester City should have too much quality across the pitch, even with Haaland potentially rested. AEK’s poor record away from home in the Champions League suggests that Maresca’s side will return to winning ways, although the visitors could find the net.
