RB Leipzig v Manchester City: live stream, TV details, how to watch, injury news & predicted line-ups

Manchester City will wrap up their 2021/22 Champions League group stage with a trip to RB Leipzig on Tuesday evening (7 December).

The game, which kicks off at 5.45pm UK time, carries little significance for the Premier League champions, who have already secured top spot having picked 12 points from their four previous games.

That means they’ll be watching how the other seven groups pan out across Tuesday and Wednesday, and observing which sides they could face in the knockout stages.

Given there’s little riding on the game, Pep Guardiola looks likely to field a weakened side in Germany, something the ex-Bayern Munich manager confirmed in his pre-match press conference when he announced the inclusion of five youngsters in the travelling party, while four senior players have been left behind, presumably to allow them time to recuperate after a busy fixture schedule.

As for Leipzig, it’s been a difficult campaign for the club this season, both domestically and in Europe. The Bundesliga side are tied level on four points with Club Brugge and could still progress to the Europa League depending on results in Leipzig and Paris.

The Red Bull outfit have also endured a tough season in the league and are 11th at present, seven points off the Champions League places. Leipzig have lost their last three Bundesliga matches, leading to the dismissal of manager Jesse Marsch on Sunday. That means Achim Beierlorzer will be in charge of the side for Tuesday’s clash.

What’s the latest team news?

Guardiola confirmed on Monday that Josh Wilson-Esbrand, CJ Egan Riley, Romeo Lavia, James McAtee and Cole Palmer would travel to Germany, with the City manager saying: “They travel with us, four or five of them, and tomorrow we will decide [if they play].”

The Catalan also said Gabriel Jesus picked up a knock in the recent win over Watford and wouldn’t be in the squad, nor were Aymeric Laporte, Joao Cancelo, Rodri and Bernardo Silva.

However, Guardiola did confirm Kevin De Bruyne will start at the Red Bull Arena, in what is expected to be a heavily rotated side.

As for the hosts, Amadou Haidara, who has recently been linked with a move to Manchester United, is a doubt with an ankle injury, while Yussuf Poulsen could also miss out with a calf problem.

Dani Olmo, Marcel Halstenberg and Marcelo Saracchi are definitely unavailable through injury, and Willi Orban is still unavailable after a recent positive Covid-19 result.

Predicted Manchester City XI (4-3-3): Steffen; Walker, Stones, Ake, Zinchenko; Fernandinho, Lavia, De Bruyne; Palmer, Grealish, Foden.

Is the match on TV?

The game will be live on BT Sport 2, with coverage beginning at 5pm. The other game in the group, Paris Saint-Germain v Club Brugge will be shown on BT Sport 3, while the six other Champions League matches on Tuesday kick off at 8pm. City’s encounter can also be streamed live via the BT Sport app.

How can I watch highlights?

Highlights will be shown on BT Sports’ Champions League YouTube channel, Champions League Tonight, which starts at 10.30pm on BT Sport 2 and will show the highlights and dissect all the major talking points from Tuesday’s games.