RB Leipzig takes on Premier League megastar Manchester City in their first Round of 16 game. The first leg is hosted by the Bundesliga club at the Red Bull Arena. This should help boost the team’s confidence as they try to hold off City’s relentless attacks. Their opponents, on the other hand, aspire to win the Premier League once again and claim their first UEFA Champions League title. While they have not been on top of their game this season, the club looks on pace to put pressure on the hosts this Wednesday. More than that, the Cityzens are keen to move on from the disappointing 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest in their latest fixture.

Nitrobetting shares the latest news, soccer odds, and special features throughout the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League season. Let’s get a closer look at the upcoming RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City face-off in this preview.

RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City 2023 Champions League Round of 16 Leg 1 Info

pic.twitter.com/txnPup21Ip

— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 21, 2023

• When: Wednesday, February 22, 2023, 3:00 PM ET
• Where: Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
• TV: CBS
• Live Stream: Paramount+
• Soccer Odds: RB Leipzig (+324) / Manchester City (-112) / Draw (+265)

READ MORE: Inter Milan vs. Porto 2023 Champions League Odds & Preview (Feb. 22)

Why is RB Leipzig a safe bet to win?

RB Leipzig can deliver huge wins. The club pulled off several Champions League upsets in the past. While City is the better team on paper, there’s a list of variables that may give the Bundesliga side an advantage before the second leg. More than that, RB Leipzig’s confidence is further amplified with their previous 2-1 home victory over City in their last UCL meeting.

The hosts hold the underdog role here. Getting past the Champions League group stage seemed daunting for the club earlier this season. They fell in the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid in their two opening matches. But, the German outfit recovered well and won four consecutive games since. Their streak featured a huge 3-2 victory over Los Blancos and was pivotal in their success to qualify as Group F runners-up.

Marco Rose’s side looks on pace to deliver a quality performance against the English giants. They plowed through Wolfsburg in a 3-0 victory and hold fifth place in the Bundesliga table. Ultimately, Leipzig will take this challenge step by step. They can either enter the pitch with confidence or allow City to control the tempo early, which should not be the case if they want to secure the win.

Possible Line-Up

• Blaswich
• Gvardiol
• Orban
• Raum
• Klostermann
• Forsberg
• Schlager
• Haidara
• Silva
• Werner
• Szoboszlai

RB Leipzig’s Last 5

• Win: 0-3 vs. VfL Wolfsburg
• Loss 1-2 vs. FC Union Berlin
• Draw 0-0 vs. FC Cologne
• Win 3-1 vs. TSG Hoffenheim
• Win 2-1 vs. VfB Stuttgart

Why is Manchester City a safe bet to win?

Manchester City have a talented and deep squad. Pep Guardiola can choose from a myriad of superstars. However, the Premier League team faces backlash since failing to meet expectations this season. With hundreds and millions of dollars poured into building the best squad in Europe, there’s plenty of work left to silence the doubtful comments coming their way.

The visitors need to get themselves out of this rut. City dropped four of their last five away games in all competitions and dropped as seven Premier League points as of late, leaving them trailing league leaders Arsenal despite playing more games than the top team. A return to the Champions League winner’s circle should restore some of the lost confidence. Pressure is on Guardiola to lead the club to their first-ever UCL title having previously lost to Chelsea in the 2020-21 final.

Although City are a regular sight in the Champions League knockout rounds, their tenth-straight appearance at this stage should at least yield another finals appearance. They now enter Wednesday’s clash seeking to advance to the Round of eight for the sixth-consecutive season.

The one saving grace this team has over RB Leipzig is their previous run before the latest group-stage loss last season. City amassed a 15-game unbeaten run against the German club in the Champions League, including a 6-3 victory at the Etihad Stadium in 2021.

Possible Line-Up

• Ederson
• Ake
• Dias
• Rodri
• Silva
• Walker
• Gundogan
• De Bruyne
• Grealish
• Mahrez
• Haaland

Manchester City’s Last 5

• Draw: 1-1 vs. Nottingham Forest
• Win: 1-3 vs. Arsenal
• Win: 3-1 vs. Aston Villa
• Loss: 1-0 vs. Tottenham
• Win: 1-0 vs. Arsenal

RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City Betting Prediction

Not counting their recent win over Arsenal, Manchester City has been anything but sensational on unfamiliar grounds in recent weeks. Another challenging clash could be in store as RB Leipzig can easily hold their own at the Red Bull Arena. Their primary weapon against the Bundesliga side is how they respond well to disappointing results. We expect Guardiola’s starting XI to close the gap in a tight skirmish in Germany.

Leipzig will have a few players unavailable for this match. But, the Germans have been handed a strong punch with Christopher Nkunku and Konrad Laimer ready to go. It remains to be seen if the final third featuring Timo Werner, Emil Forsberg, and Dominik Szoboszlai offer ample support to its forward, this is a component that could make or break it for Marco Rose and the rest of the team. Covering should be doable as they try to hold off the Cityzens, but a win requires every ounce of talent and determination from the hosts.

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