Frank Christian
Manchester City will take on Sparta Prague in the Uefa Champions League, with both teams currently having four points from their initial two games.
Despite being a Pot 4 team, Sparta has made a significant impact in their first appearance in the tournament in nearly two decades. They began with an impressive 3-0 victory over RB Salzburg and followed it up with a commendable 1-1 draw against Stuttgart, recovering from an early deficit.
Manchester City had a dominant 4-0 win against Slovan Bratislava after a goalless draw against Inter Milan, the same team they faced in the 2023 finals. This draw still seems to be on Pep Guardiola’s mind as he expressed concerns about the new competition format that requires teams to strive for a top-eight position to secure a spot in the last 16 automatically.
Guardiola highlighted the importance of winning their home games, especially considering the challenging away matches to come against Sporting, Juventus, and PSG. “Closing out games at home is crucial, or it will be tough to aim for that top eight,” he stated.
Manchester City vs. Sparta Prague lineups, predicted starting 11, team news
Kevin De Bruyne is out due to a thigh injury incurred against Inter, and Kyle Walker is also unavailable for this match. Long-term injuries include Rodri (ACL) and Oscar Bobb (broken leg).
Nathan Ake returned to the bench for the recent win against Wolves and may come in to rest the performing Josko Gvardiol.
Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, and Matheus Nunes made an impact from the bench and might start this match, although Grealish and Jeremy Doku missed open training on Tuesday. James McAtee hopes for more playtime after scoring his first Champions League goal against Bratislava, and Manu Akanji is likely to feature in defense.
Predicted lineup for Man City (4-3-3, right to left): Ederson (GK) — Lewis, Akanji, Stones, Ake — Nunes, Kovacic, McAtee — Foden, Haaland, Grealish
Injured: Walker, De Bruyne, Bobb, Rodri, Grealish (doubt), Doku (doubt)
Suspended: None
Not to stir the pot, but…
Here are Bayern Munich and Barcelona’s last 5 encounters in the Champions League #FCBayern #FCBarcelona #UCL #FCBFCB pic.twitter.com/QpqPwsVQDr
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) October 21, 2024
As for Sparta Prague, Imanol Garcia is out with a knee injury, and Elias Cobbaut is doubtful due to illness, missing his chance for the season debut.
Martin Vitik, who missed the previous match due to suspension, is expected to return and might replace Asger Sorensen in central defense, potentially forming a trio with Filip Panak and Jaroslav Zeleny.
Kaan Kairinen plays a vital role in midfield, orchestrating play with his precise passing and has netted goals in both of Sparta’s Champions League fixtures this season.
Sparta Prague predicted lineup (3-4-3, right to left): Vindahl (GK) — Vitik, Panak, Zeleny — Preciado, Laci, Kairinen, Rynes — Birmancevic, Rrahmani, Haraslin.
Injured: Cobbaut, Garcia.
Suspended: None
Manchester City vs. Sparta Prague live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to catch this Champions League match across different regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | Paramount+, ViX |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | TNT Sports 2 | discovery+ |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| India | Sony Ten 1 | Sony LIV, JioTV |
