Manchester City are aiming to bounce back from their second consecutive Premier League defeat when they face a familiar Champions League foe in RB Leipzig on Matchday 4 of the league phase.

The Cityzens were beaten 1–0 by Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, having scraped by the Seagulls on penalties just days before to advance to the Carabao Cup quarterfinals as a result.

An Arsenal victory at Anfield on Sunday means City lost grip on their lead at the top of the Premier League table, with the champions now boasting a three-point advantage at the summit. City had been perfect through seven games, but are suddenly playing catch up as the November international break looms.

They’re now preparing for their seventh meeting with Leipzig since 2021, having claimed six points from their opening three league phase matches this season. City have beaten Porto and AEK Athens with comfort on either side of a thrilling defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

As for Leipzig, they’ve been beaten by Como and Real Madrid on their travels, but did claim a victory on home soil against PSV Eindhoven thanks to Brajan Gruda’s strike. Wednesday’s hosts have won three on the bounce since losing in Madrid, and currently sit fourth in the Bundesliga.

RB Leipzig vs. Man City Score Prediction

Cityzens Edge Back-and-Forth Thriller

Former Man City defender Martín Demichelis is in charge for Leipzig, having been appointed in the summer off the back of a short stint with Mallorca in La Liga.

The Leipzig boss has hailed his “special relationship” with Maresca—teammates at Málaga some 15 years ago—ahead of Wednesday’s match, and there’s every chance the two teams play out a pulsating back-and-forth affair in east Germany.

Leipzig have been rather Jekyll and Hyde this term, with their failings on the road masked by a scintillating run at the Red Bull Arena. Saying that, Demichelis’s side have won back-to-back games on their travels, albeit against lowly opposition.

Still, they’ve been the Bundesliga’s best at home so far this season, scoring 18 goals in four games without conceding. Man City must be wary.

• Leipzig’s record vs. Premier League teams: Leipzig may be oozing confidence, especially on home soil, but they don’t exactly boast the most handsome record against English teams. In fact, they’ve lost all of their previous five meetings against Premier League opposition, and have beaten Man City just once in six matches.
• Haaland factor: There are very few teams Erling Haaland doesn’t like scoring against, but he has a particular penchant for inflicting a ton of misery upon the RB Leipzig faithful. In eight games against Die Roten Bullen, dating back to his time with Borussia Dortmund, Haaland has scored 12 times. He even scored five times in one game against Leipzig back in 2023.

Prediction: RB Leipzig 2–3 Man City

RB Leipzig Predicted Lineup vs. Man City

The hosts are set to be without summer arrivals Maxime Estève and Marc Guiu, as well as the highly-rated Assan Ouédraogo, who underwent shoulder surgery in September and isn’t expected to be back in action until December.

Norway international Antonio Nusa is the man the visitors will have to keep a close eye on, with the electrifying winger already notching 10 Bundesliga goal contributions this season.

Christopher Nkunku has also found form on his return to Leipzig, while Austrian international Christoph Baumgartner is an opportunistic box-crashing midfielder.

Left back and captain David Raum has previously been linked with a transfer to Manchester United, and center back Castello Lukeba has also attracted interest from Europe’s elite.

RB Leipzig predicted lineup vs. Man City (4-2-3-1): Vandevoordt; Baku, Orbán, Lukeba, Raum; El Aynaoui, Banzuzi; Gruda, Nkunku, Nusa; Rômulo.

Maresca has named a 23-man roster for Wednesday’s Champions League clash, with no surprise absentees.

Antoine Semenyo is the only notable figure on the sidelines, with the Ghana international managing a knee injury sustained last month.

Young attacker Floyd Samba has traveled with the team, but Erling Haaland is unlikely to be displaced. Maresca should make a few changes from the side that started against Brighton on Saturday, with Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden among the players who could earn recalls.

Abdukodir Khusanov may be used to neutralize Nusa down Leipzig’s left, and Nico O’Reilly could replace ex-Leipzig defender Joško Gvardiol on the opposite side.

Man City predicted lineup vs. RB Leipzig (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Guéhi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Bouaddi; Foden, Cherki, Doku; Haaland.

What Time Does RB Leipzig vs. Man City Kick Off?

• Location: Leipzig, Germany
• Stadium: Red Bull Arena
• Date: Wednesday, Nov. 4
• Kickoff Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
• Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)

How to Watch RB Leipzig vs. Man City on TV, Live Stream

This article was originally published on www.si.com as RB Leipzig vs. Man City: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.