Manchester City have the depth to make 11 changes from the team that beat Everton and compete with Bayern Munich on Tuesday, but after a 1-1 draw against Napoli, Roberto Mancini might feel like he needs to field his best side. The Bavarians are coming off of a spectacular win over Bayer Leverkusen on the weekend, as well as a victory over Villarreal in their previous Champions League encounter. These two sides are among the most in-form in Europe and are the current favorites to advance out of the UEFA Champions League's group of death, but whatever transpires Tuesday might change the fortunes of one club.
Bayern Munich Vs. Manchester City, 2011 UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 Preview: Injury Hurts Bayern’s Chances
Bayern Munich are in spectacular form, but Holder Badstuber’s injury could cause serious problems for the Bavarians against Sergio Aguero and Manchester City.
Bayern are a mostly healthy side, but are having to deal with one massive injury. Starting defender Holger Badstuber has picked up an injury and is not expected to play against City. This means that the very experienced, but now rather slow Daniel Van Buyten will have to start in his place. The long time Bayern star has the intelligence to make up for a lack of pace against most opponents, but that may not be enough against Sergio Aguero. Van Buyten started on the weekend next to Badstuber, who could be replaced in the lineup by either Luis Gustavo or Jerome Boateng.
Both Jupp Heynckes and Roberto Mancini are excellent tacticians, but it seems as if both are happy with their systems, their current first teams, and the way their teams play. Any changes to either side are likely to be very subtle. With the international break and winnable league games coming up for both Bayern and City, they will likely elect to make minimal changes from their teams that won at the weekend.
Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City
Projected Bayern Munich lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Lahm, Van Buyten, Boateng, Rafinha; Gustavo, Schweinsteiger; Ribery, Kroos, Robben; Gomez
Projected Manchester City lineup (4-4-2): Hart; Clichy, Lescott, Kompany, Richards; Silva, Barry, Toure, Nasri; Aguero, Dzeko
Formations
Time: 8:45 pm local, 7:45 pm BST, 2:45 pm ET
Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
TV: Sky Sports 2 (UK), Fox Soccer Plus (USA), Setanta Sports (Canada), Sky Sports 1 (Germany)
Online: FoxSoccer.tv (USA), UEFA.com (International)
We’ll have live coverage of Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City right here at SB Nation. For more on the two teams, head on over to The Bayern Munich Offside and SB Nation’s Manchester City blog Bitter And Blue. For more on the other Champions League fixtures and the entire world of football, head on over to SB Nation Soccer.
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