Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City need only to avoid defeat tomorrow night against Borussia Dortmund to seal top spot in Group G of the Champions League.
The German club, however, require two more points to be certain of progressing to the knockout stages and will head into their meeting against the English champions full of confidence. They thrashed Stuttgart 5-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Huge test
They sit five points ahead of Sevilla and Copenhagen in second spot ahead of their huge test against City and coach Edin Terzic knows his team still have work to do to ensure they reach the knockout stages of Europe’s elite competition for the fourth time in five seasons.
Likewise, City know that they will top the group for the sixth successive season if they do not lose. They have already won against them at the Etihad Stadium courtesy of Erling Haaland’s late acrobatic volley last month and will be looking for another win what with the likes of the Norway striker and Kevin de Bruyne in top form right now. Guardiola’s side cut the gap to Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table to only one point after beating Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 on Saturday with Haaland bagging himself yet another brace. He now has a domestic tally of 17 goals in 11 matches.
Former club
Indeed, Haaland will be determined to impress at his former stomping ground and it would take a very brave man to bet against him scoring against them again. But City will be without Sergio Gomez due to suspension while England internationals Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips remain sidelined through injury. John Stones is fit again and could be involved while Ilkay Gundogan - who was an unused substitute against Brighton - may start against his former club.
Dortmund could be without Nico Schlotterbeck due to a calf injury while Thomas Meunier, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Mateu Morey, Mahmoud Dahoud and Sebastien Haller are definitely out. Terzic may have Donyell Malen and Marco Reus back after the duo missed the weekend’s victory due to illness and a knock respectively.
