Manchester City: Citizens Host Celtic in Final UCL Group Stage Fixture
By Larry Henry
Manchester City host Celtic F.C. on Tuesday in their final UEFA Champions League group-stage match before the Round of 16 kicks off next month.
Pep Guardiola‘s side clinched their spot into the knockout stage after drawing with Borussia Monchengladbach 1-1 on MatchDay #5. After suffering a 3-1 home loss against Chelsea in EPL play on Saturday, Manchester City could use tomorrow’s fixture as a tune-up game to get back into rhythm.
Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho who both were sent-off vs. Chelsea were each given four-match and three-match bans respectively for league fixtures only. Aguero can be used tomorrow, however Fernandinho is suspended due to being sent off against Gladbach on MatchDay #5.
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“If Sergio is going to play or not, I am going to decide today or tomorrow, I don’t know at the moment. There will be changes, definitely. I am so happy to give minutes to people who deserve to play and who did not play in the last games,” Guardiola told BBC Sport.
Willy Caballero looks to be the starter for tomorrow, but Raheem Sterling who missed Saturday’s match did not train on Monday.
As for Celtic, striker Leigh Griffiths and defender Erik Sviatchenko are fit for Brendan Rodgers side after missing Saturday’s league win at Motherwell. Manchester City loanee Patrick Roberts could start against his parent club while former City winger Scott Sinclair is out.
The Glasgow giants, cannot improve on their place in the Group C standings, and will be out of the competition following tomorrow’s match. Still, the highlight for Celtic was the 3-3 home draw vs Manchester City earlier in the group-stage, and pride will definitely be something fought for on Tuesday.
With the final group-stage match kicking off tomorrow for MCFC, here are my three things to watch for.
1.) Look for Kelechi Iheanacho to start for City.
With the Round of 16 spot already clinched, Pep can afford to rotate his squad ahead of tomorrow’s match. Players like Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, and others cannot be risked for a match that means nothing for the standings. That being said, look for youngster Kelechi Iheanacho to start tomorrow at forward. The 20 year-old Nigerian hasn’t had a lot of time so far this season, but deserves some time tomorrow to get some match time. Featuring in only nine Premier League matches, and two Champions League matches shows how much Aguero has been relied on. In order to preserve the health of some key players, Iheanacho deserves a start.
2.) City need to get bad taste from Chelsea out of their system.
In a huge EPL clash with Chelsea two days ago, Manchester City were dominant for most of the match. However, a lack of finishing by KDB turned the match on its head and Chelsea were able to run away with the points. The frustration by Aguero and Fernandinho capped what was a sad day for the team and fans alike. Now we have to turn the page and look to tomorrow, and for the players they too need to use tomorrow as a building block. in front of their home fans at the Etihad, they need to put on a good performance and prove to the fans that they belong in the Round of 16. Heading into a tricky game at Leicester on Saturday, City could use this game as practice for a variety of reasons.
3.) Look for a lot of testing-out by Pep tomorrow.
Again, tomorrow being a meaningless game for the stats, doesn’t mean it is 100% meaningless. Pep can tinker with the line-up, formation, or strategy in order to prepare for the knockout round. It is important to put in a strong performance for momentum, but also it is important for Pep to look for other ideas to use down the road. We could see some youngsters get the nod tomorrow, or some players playing in different roles as preparation. A loss tomorrow would not be the worst thing in the world, but a victory would mean a lot for the upcoming games this month.
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My prediction tomorrow is a 2-1 Manchester City win. With tough games coming up in the EPL I feel that Pep Guardiola will have this team mentally prepared for anything Celtic throws at them. Like I said previously, the result of this match could do wonders for the team mentally and physically.