Manchester City take on Czech champions Sparta Prague on Matchday 3 of the Champions League league phase on Wednesday night.
After being held to a stalemate by Inter in a repeat of the 2023 final on Matchday 1, City cruised to all three points away at rookies Slovan Bratislava last time out with six games remaining.
Pep Guardiola’s side remain unbeaten in all competitions this term, but there’s a sense that this City team isn’t quite as infallible compared to previous iterations with midfield lynchpin Rodri out for the season.
Wednesday’s opponents Sparta have matched City’s four-point haul through two games. The Czech side’s European history is far from rich, but they’re the dominant force domestically having won the Czech First League for the 14th time last season.
Sparta started their league phase campaign with a convincing victory over RB Salzburg before they picked up a respectable point at Stuttgart on Matchday 2.
Here is 90min’s guide to Man City’s clash with Sparta Prague in the Champions League.
Man City vs Sparta Prague H2H Record (Last Five Games)
This is the first competitive fixture between Man City and Sparta Prague.
Current form (all competitions)
|
Man City |
Sparta Prague |
|---|---|
|
Wolves 1-2 Man City – 20/10/24 |
Sparta Prague 2-1 Liberec – 19/10/24 |
|
Man City 3-2 Fulham – 05/10/24 |
Slavia Prague 2-1 Sparta Prague – 06/10/24 |
|
Slovan Bratislava 0-4 Man City – 01/10/24 |
Stuttgart 1-1 Sparta Prague – 01/10/24 |
|
Newcastle 1-1 Man City – 28/09/24 |
Sparta Prague 2-3 Sigma – 27/09/24 |
|
Man City 2-1 Watford – 24/09/24 |
SK Dynamo 0-2 Sparta Prague – 22/09/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
discovery+, discovery+ App, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports Ultimate |
|
United States |
Paramount+, ViX |
|
Canada |
DAZN |
Guardiola is going to shuffle his pack from the team that started at Wolves on Sunday, but the City boss is somewhat limited as to how many changes he can make.
Rodri and Oscar Boss are long-term absentees, while Kevin De Bruyne is continuing to nurse a groin injury sustained on Matchday 1 against Inter. He won’t be in the XI on Wednesday, but the Belgian is expected to return to the fold soon.
Kyle Walker is out with a thigh injury so there should be another start for Rico Lewis at right-back. Jack Grealish and Phil Foden are expected to come back into the team, while Nathan Ake could offer Josko Gvardiol some respite.
Man City predicted lineup vs Sparta Prague (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Ake; Nunes, Gundogan; Bernardo, Foden, Grealish; Haaland.
Elias Cobbaut is yet to feature for Sparta this season and that’s unlikely to change on Wednesday night. Imanol Garcia is also out for the away side having torn his anterior cruciate ligament.
Martin Vitik was suspended for the victory over Liberec on Saturday but is eligible to return to the starting XI against City. He should come back into Sparta’s back three right away.
Teenager Roman Mokrovics is a doubt with a knock.
Sparta Prague predicted lineup vs Man City (3-4-3): Vindahl; Vitik, Panak, Zeleny; Preciado, Kairinen, Laci, Wiesner; Birmancevic, Rrahmani, Haraslin.
Sparta Prague should prove sterner opposition than Slovan Bratislava, but this should be a game where the hosts cruise.
It’s a good opportunity for Guardiola to rest and rotate ahead of Saturday’s Premier League duel against Southampton, with any configuration of players likely to be enough to get the job done in this one.
Their defensive vulnerabilities could be pounced upon by a Sparta team that proved devastating in transition against Salzburg, but City are unlikely to give their opponents much of a sniff. Erling Haaland’s recent goal drought will surely come to an end on Wednesday, with the Cityzens bound to win at a canter.
Prediction: Man City 4-1 Sparta Prague
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