Leipzig vs Man City match facts

Leipzig's second game in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League pits them against the side who emphatically ended their interest in last season's competition – holders Manchester City.

The German club held their English visitors to a 1-1 draw in the home leg of last season's round of 16 only to concede seven goals in Manchester – five of them to Erling Haaland.

The teams are level on three points in the embryonic Group G table after each recorded a 3-1 win on Matchday 1. Leipzig were victorious away to Swiss side Young Boys – Mohamed Simakan opening the scoring with the first goal of this season's Champions League – while City had to come from behind to beat Crvena zvezda at home.

Previous meetings 

Leipzig wins 1
Man City wins 2
Draws 1
Leipzig goals 6
Man City goals 15

The first leg of last season's round of 16 tie proved a tight affair, Riyad Mahrez giving City a 27th-minute lead in Leipzig and Joško Gvardiol – now a City player – levelling with 20 minutes left.

In contrast, the second leg was one-way traffic as City equalled their biggest European victory with a 7-0 win. Haaland followed Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano as the third player to score five goals in a Champions League match (22pen, 24, 45+2, 53, 57) with İlkay Gündoğan (49) and Kevin De Bruyne (90+2) also on target.

Leipzig and City were in the same group in 2021/22, the English club winning 6-3 in Manchester on Matchday 1 thanks to goals from Nathan Aké (16), a Nordi Mukiele own goal (28), Mahrez (45+2pen), Jack Grealish (56), João Cancelo (75) and Gabriel Jesus (85). Christopher Nkunku (42, 51, 73) scored all three of Leipzig's goals, becoming only the fourth player in Champions League history to end on the losing side after hitting a hat-trick.

Leipzig were 2-1 winners at home to City on Matchday 6, securing third place in Group A thanks to goals in each half from Dominik Szoboszlai (24) and André Silva (71), Mahrez getting the visitors' 76th-minute consolation.

Form guide

Leipzig

Record vs English clubs: W4 D1 L5 F13 A26
Home record vs English clubs: W3 D1 L0

The German club had won all three of their European games against English visitors before being held by City last season.

The win against City on 7 December 2021 is Leipzig's only success in their last six games against Premier League teams, a run that includes four defeats.

This is Leipzig's sixth Champions League group campaign, all since 2017/18, and a fifth in a row.

Semi-finalists in 2019/20, the German club have reached the knockout rounds in three of their last four campaigns, including 2022/23.

Last season Marco Rose's side finished second in Group F behind holders Real Madrid and held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw in the home first leg of their round of 16 tie, but bowed out after suffering their heaviest European defeat in the return, going down 7-0 away to the eventual champions.

A 4-1 loss against Shakhtar Donetsk on Matchday 1 last season is one of only two in the German team's last 16 European games at their own stadium (W9 D5).

Leipzig's home record in the Champions League group stage is W8 D3 L4.

This is only Leipzig's seventh season of European football. They became the first club to make their continental debut in the Champions League group stage in September 2017.

In addition to reaching the last four of the Champions League in 2020, losing 3-0 in a one-off tie against Paris Saint-Germain, Leipzig were also Europa League semi-finalists in 2021/22.

Rose's charges were third in the Bundesliga in 2022/23, Leipzig's fifth successive top-four finish and a sixth in seven years since being promoted to the German top flight for the first time in 2016.

Manchester City

Record vs German clubs: W21 D6 L8 F76 A40
Away record vs German clubs: W7 D3 L7

City faced three German clubs in last season's Champions League, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at home and drawing 0-0 away in the group stage, before overcoming Leipzig in the round of 16 and then seeing off Bayern München in the quarter-finals (3-0 h, 1-1 a).

City's 14-match unbeaten run against German clubs – with 13 victories – was ended by the 2-1 loss in Leipzig on Matchday 6 in 2021/22. It is their only defeat by a Bundesliga club since a 1-0 reverse at Bayern in September 2014; their record in that time is W16 D4 L1.

The Manchester club lost six of their first eight away games against German clubs (W2) but have been beaten in only one of the last ten (W5 D4), winning four in a row before losing in Leipzig two seasons ago.

This is City's 13th successive Champions League group appearance; they have featured every season since 2011/12 and have reached the knockout stages in each of the last ten campaigns.

City won the Champions League for the first time in 2022/23, beating Inter 1-0 in the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul thanks to a second-half goal from Rodri. Pep Guardiola's team had finished top of Group G before knockout wins against Leipzig, Bayern and holders Real Madrid (1-1 a, 4-0 h).

Guardiola's side have finished first in their UEFA Champions League group for six successive seasons.

The final victory brought Guardiola level with Zinédine Zidane and Bob Paisley with three European Cup wins as a coach in total. Only Ancelotti has more with four.

Guardiola, a winner with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011, also became the sixth coach to win the European Cup with two different clubs.

Haaland was the top scorer in the competition with 12 goals. Midfielder Rodri was selected as Player of the Season.

The Cityzens also won the Premier League and the FA Cup in 2022/23, making them England's first treble winners since Manchester United in 1998/99. They became the tenth European team to win the treble and the first since Bayern in 2020.

City have already claimed European silverware this season, beating Sevilla 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Piraeus on 16 August to win the UEFA Super Cup for the first time. The Premier League side were the 25th team to lift the trophy and the sixth from England, Guardiola becoming the first coach to triumph with three different clubs.

The Cityzens have won 15 of their last 29 away European matches (D9 L5), although they have drawn the last five, the last three 1-1.

City have lost only two of their last 30 Champions League group stage matches (W22 D6).

Links and trivia

Gvardiol made 88 appearances in all competitions for Leipzig between 2021 and joining City this summer, scoring five goals. He won the German Cup in both his seasons with the club.

Have also played in Germany:
Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund 2020–22)
Kevin De Bruyne (Werder Bremen 2012/13 loan, Wolfsburg 2014–15)
Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund 2018–22)
Sergio Gómez (Borussia Dortmund 2018–21)
Stefan Ortega (Arminia Bielefeld 2007–14, 2017–22, 1860 München 2014–17)

Haaland scored four goals in his three Bundesliga appearances against Leipzig for Dortmund.

Have played in England:
Timo Werner (Chelsea 2020–22)
Péter Gulácsi (Liverpool 2007–13, Hereford 2009 loan, Tranmere 2010 loan, Hull 2011/12 loan)
Fábio Carvalho (Fulham 2015–22, Liverpool 2022/23)

Werner was in the Chelsea side that beat City 1-0 in the 2021 Champions League final.

International team-mates:
Dani Olmo & Rodri (Spain)
Loïs Openda & Jérémy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
Xavi Simons & Nathan Aké (Netherlands)

Guardiola was Bayern coach between 2013 and 2016, winning the Bundesliga in all three of his seasons in charge. He never faced Leipzig.

John Stones scored past Gulácsi in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier between England and Hungary at Wembley on 12 October 2021 (1-1). Three other City players started the game for the home team – Grealish, Kyle Walker and Phil Foden.

Haaland scored two goals and set up another as Norway beat Sweden 3-2 in the UEFA Nations League on 12 June 2022; Emil Forsberg scored one of the Swedes' goals.

Benjamin Šeško scored a late winner for Slovenia as they defeated Norway 2-1 in the Nations League on 24 September 2022; Haaland had put the visitors in front.

Latest news

Leipzig

Summer transfers
In: Fábio Carvalho (Liverpool, loan), Christoph Baumgartner (Hoffenheim), Benjamin Šeško (Salzburg), Nicolas Seiwald (Salzburg), Leopold Zingerle (Paderborn), Loïs Openda (Lens), El Chadaille Bitshiabu (Paris), Xavi Simons (Paris, loan), Castello Lukeba (Lyon), Christopher Lenz (Frankfurt)

Out: Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea), Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool), Josep Martínez (Genoa), Konrad Laimer (Bayern), Ørjan Nyland (Sevilla), Tom Krauß (Mainz), Marcel Halstenberg (Hannover), André Silva (Real Sociedad, loan), Joško Gvardiol (Man City), Angeliño (Galatasaray, loan), Alexander Sørloth (Villarreal), Caden Clark (Vendsyssel, loan), Hugo Novoa (Utrecht, loan)

Leipzig had won six games in a row before Saturday, when they let slip a two-goal first-half lead to draw 2-2 at home against Bayern München.

Loïs Openda opened the scoring, becoming the first Leipzig player to find the net in his first three home Bundesliga matches.

Four days after the success at Young Boys, the Saxons prevailed 1-0 at Borussia Mönchengladbach thanks to a late Timo Werner goal.

On 27 September the holders won 3-2 in the first round of the German Cup at 2. Bundesliga side Wehen Wiesbaden, new signing Benjamin Šeško scoring twice.

On 12 August Leipzig prevailed 3-0 in the German Super Cup at Bayern – their first win in the competition on the second appearance. Dani Olmo scored all three goals.

On 8 September Olmo scored Spain's third goal in a 7-1 win in Georgia, but had to be replaced shortly before half-time with a knee injury and has missed Leipzig's last five games.

On 10 September Willi Orbán had to be substituted on the hour in a 1-1 friendly draw against Czechia having suffered a knee injury that was expected to keep him on the sidelines for ten weeks.

Werner missed the cup game because of back problems and was also absent at the weekend.

El Chadaille Bitshiabu has been out since 8 August with a knee injury.

On 5 August Amadou Haidara suffered a calf injury and is yet to feature this season, although he was an unused substitute on Saturday.

Péter Gulácsi returned to the starting line-up at Wehen Wiesbaden having been an unused substitute in the three games before. It was his first appearance since suffering a serious a knee problem on 5 October 2022.

On 1 September Janis Blaswich extended his contract until 2026. Olmo had signed a new contract until 2027 in June.

Manchester City

Summer transfers
In: Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea), Joško Gvardiol (Leipzig), Jérémy Doku (Rennes), Matheus Nunes (Wolves)

Out: İlkay Gündoğan (Barcelona), Benjamin Mendy (Lorient), Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli), Liam Delap (Hull, loan), Josh Wilson-Esbrand (Reims, loan), Máximo Perrone (Las Palmas, loan), Aymeric Laporte (Al-Nassr), Luke Mbete (Den Bosch, loan), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton, loan), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Tommy Doyle (Wolves, loan), James McAtee (Sheffield United, loan), João Cancelo (Barcelona, loan), Slobodan Tedić (Charlton, loan), Yangel Herrera (Girona), Issa Kaboré (Luton, loan)

City suffered their first league defeat of the season on Saturday, going down 2-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

That was City's second successive loss in all competitions for the first time since January; they had lost only two of their previous 41 matches (W32 D7) before their last two fixtures.

The English champions had won their first six league games this season and were the only team in the Premier League still to drop a point before the weekend.

Pep Guardiola's side were 2-0 victors at home to Nottingham Forest on 23 September despite losing Rodri to a red card early in the second half.

Erling Haaland, who set a new Premier League record of 36 goals in 2022/23, already has eight to his name this season – three more than any other player – and had scored in four successive Premier League matches, including a second-half hat-trick in the 5-1 home win against Fulham on 2 September, before drawing a blank on Saturday.

Having also scored in Norway's 2-1 UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying win against Georgia on 12 September, Haaland has found the net in his last five of his last seven games for club and country – seven goals in all.

On 27 September City lost 1-0 at Newcastle in the English League Cup third round.

City kicked off the season by losing 4-1 on penalties to Arsenal after a 1-1 draw in the FA Community Shield at Wembley on 6 August. It was their 15th appearance in the match and their ninth defeat – and a third in a row.

Jack Grealish was out between 27 August and 23 September due to a thigh injury, returning as a late substitute against Forest before starting at Newcastle. He also came on on Saturday.

Kevin De Bruyne has not played since suffering a recurrence of a hamstring injury in a 2-0 win at Burnley in City's first Premier League game of the season on 11 August, and is expected to be sidelined for several months.

John Stones has not played since the Community Shield due to a thigh problem.

Bernardo Silva has been sidelined since Matchday 1.

On 31 August Haaland was named the UEFA Men's Player of the Year at the Champions League group stage draw in Monaco. Pep Guardiola took the coach's award.

Seven City players are on the 30-player shortlist for the 2023 Ballon d'Or, which will be announced in Paris on 30 October: Julián Álvarez, De Bruyne, Rúben Dias, Joško Gvardiol, Haaland, Rodri and Bernardo Silva.