Manchester City have qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League and can finish the group as winners with a victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.
The Cityzens have taken 11 points from 12 possible in the Champions League group stage. Their only blemish was a 1-1 draw with Atalanta on matchday 4 in Bergamo.
Shakhtar Donetsk are fighting for second place in Group C. The Ukrainian team is level with Dinamo Zagreb on five points from 15 possible. Group C’s second place qualifying position is wide open and even bottom team Atalanta can still qualify despite having one point.
Pep Guardiola led his team to a 2-1 win over Chelsea last weekend ending a two-match unbeaten run in all competitions. The Cityzens had a couple of hiccups starting with their 1-1 draw against Atalanta but it appears they are now back on track.
The manager may have got a big win in the Premier League at the weekend, but lost one of his top players to injury. Striker Sergio Aguero is out of action due to a muscle injury and isn’t to play against Shakhtar Donetsk. Guardiola stated Aguero will be out for some time.
What a night that was!⏰ #OnThisDay🔵 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/RyzWejPFGe— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 25, 2019
What a night that was!⏰ #OnThisDay🔵 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/RyzWejPFGe
David Silva and Rodri both suffered leg cramps against Chelsea. Silva should be back in the team against Shakhtar, however, Rodri is likely to miss out once more. Full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko is recovering from an injury and won’t be back until December at the earliest.
Injuries have been an issue for Guardiola this season as mental and physical fatigue has taken its toll on the Cityzens squad. Guardiola has the group practically wrapped up, so don’t be surprised for him to rotate the team.
Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez is back in Guardiola’s team. He scored Manchester City’s winner against Chelsea for his fourth goal in all competitions. Mahrez scored against Shakhtar Donetsk the last time the two teams faced off in Ukraine and could start.
Shakhtar Donetsk conceded three goals the last time they played Manchester City. Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus both found the back of the net for the Cityzens. Shakhtar Donetsk have conceded nine goals in four Group C matches.
Luis Castro’s team is likely to allow goals once again versus Manchester City. Shakhtar Donetsk have allowed goals in each match of Group C. All four of those matches saw over 2.5 goals scored.
Manchester City won 3-0 the last time out and should once again get a win against Shakhtar Donetsk. Another Shakhtar Donetsk Group C fixture should see over 2.5 goals scored.