RB Leipzig welcome Man City to the Red Bull Arena

Former Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis will lead his RB Leipzig side into Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with the Citizens at the Red Bull Arena.

The two teams butt heads for the first time since November 2023 when City came from two goals down at half time to win 3-2 in a thrilling group-stage contest at the Etihad Stadium.

Just three days after edging past Brighton on penalties in the EFL Cup fourth round, Man City delivered a surprisingly toothless display against the same opponent last Saturday as they fell to a narrow 1-0 home defeat in the Premier League.

For the third time this season, Enzo Maresca’s side conceded inside the opening 15 minutes, with Yasin Ayari’s goal enough to condemn the Citizens to back-to-back Premier League losses as well as surrender top spot to champions Arsenal.

City will be desperate to return to winning ways in their next top-flight fixture at Nottingham Forest prior to November’s international break, but they must first shift their attention to the Champions League where they have accumulated six points from their opening three League Phase fixtures.

The previous six meetings between Leipzig and Man City have produced 30 goals – an average of five per game – so an entertaining, end-to-end encounter can be expected on Wednesday.

The Citizens have conceded 12 goals in their last six matches and continue to look vulnerable at the back, providing Leipzig with plenty of optimism. However, we are backing Maresca’s men to rediscover their clinical touch and outscore their German counterparts in a six-goals thriller

Credit: sportsmole.co.uk

Borussia Dortmund will play host to Real Betis

BVB Stadion will play host to an intriguing Champions League fixture on Wednesday evening, as Borussia Dortmund welcome Real Betis.

Dortmund are 13th in the Champions League league stage table, picking up six points from three matches, while Betis are fifth in the rankings on nine points.

Dortmund opened their 2026-27 Champions League league stage campaign with a 3-2 home success over Villarreal, before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Bodo/Glimt in their second match, but they returned to winning ways last time out, beating Sabah 2-1.

A return of six points from three matches has left BVB in 13th spot in the overall table, and they will bring a five-game unbeaten run into this contest, including a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday night.

Dortmund, who have won three of their last four matches during a strong run, are preparing to face Real Betis for the first time, but they have won each of their last four UEFA matches against Spanish opposition, all of which have been at home.

Real Betis, meanwhile, will enter the match off the back of a 2-1 win over Malaga in La Liga, with the result leaving them fourth in their domestic table.

It has been a strong start to the 2026-27 campaign for Manuel Pellegrini‘s side, who have been victorious in their opening three matches of this season’s Champions League.

Real Betis have been excellent in this season’s Champions League, and the La Liga club deserve a lot of respect, but Dortmund at home are a tough proposition, and we are backing BVB to edge a close game on Wednesday.

Credit: sportsmole.co.uk

Liverpool travel away to face Fenerbahce

Fighting to maintain their 100% start in the Champions League‘s league-phase, Liverpool will travel to face Fenerbahce at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

The Yellow Canaries are in dire form ahead of this high-profile clash, and the Reds will be hoping to bounce back from defeat last time out.

Fenerbahce are currently under the leadership of interim manager Dirk Kuyt, a familiar face to Liverpool fans, following Ismail Kartal‘s resignation last month.

The Dutchman spent six years at Anfield, scoring 71 goals across 285 appearances, but will be vying to end his former club’s continental winning streak.

Kuyt took the reins on October 28 after the Yellow Canaries were downed 2-1 by bitter rivals Galatasaray, but fell to a 2-1 defeat of his own against Goztepe on Saturday.

While the boss is waiting for an inaugural positive result, Fenerbahce are also searching for their first win in this season’s Champions League, having drawn 1-1 with Roma and 2-2 with Slavia Prague either side of a 6-0 demolition by Aston Villa.

Fenerbahce have been in poor form lately, but they will be determined to deliver a competitive performance in front of an intense home crowd.

Liverpool should have enough to come out on top despite the pressure applied by their opponents, though they are unlikely to keep a clean sheet in Istanbul.

Credit: sportsmole.co.uk

Arsenal take on Slavia Prague

An Arsenal team yet to suffer defeat in the 2026-27 Champions League league phase take on a Slavia Prague side still searching for their first triumph of the tournament at the Fortuna Arena on Wednesday evening.

The Gunners have collected seven points from the first nine on offer in Europe, whereas their Czech hosts have just one draw and two defeats to show from their opening three fixtures.

No longer perfect points-wise or rearguard-wise in the Champions League, Arsenal ventured to Bayern Munich on matchday three as the only team in the UCL yet to concede a goal, having shut out Lille and Napoli in the opening two rounds.

However, the Premier League champions still went toe to toe with their Bavarian counterparts and came away with a hard-earned point from an enthralling 2-2 draw with Bayern, replicating an incredibly rare and eerie feat in the process.

While Arsenal’s 14-game winning sequence in the league phase may now be a thing of the past, the Gunners remain in the coveted top eight spots of the league-phase table, and two goals conceded still makes them the joint-best defensive side in the competition, alongside Stuttgart and PSV Eindhoven.

The elusive quadruple remains a pipe dream after their embarrassing EFL Cup exit to Fleetwood Town, but Mikel Arteta got the seismic response he was hoping for on Sunday, overseeing a long-awaited Premier League victory at Anfield.

After Arsenal’s second-string team failed to beat a fourth-tier side in the EFL Cup, Arteta should resist the urge to make wholesale changes against a Slavia side whose momentum is growing.

Credit: sportsmole.co.uk

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