Manchester City Vs Crvena Zvezda Premier League Football Match 2023
Manchester City tonight kick off the defence of their Champions League crown against Red Star Belgrade. The English giants finally claimed last season the trophy they so craved as part of a remarkable Treble, and now Pep Guardiola & Co. are gearing up to do it all over again. It is the first time City have faced the Serbian side, who are more commonly known as FK Crvena zvezda, and Guardiola in the build-up game highlighted their “aggressive” tactical plan and the need for his players to read situations carefully. City will again be without John Stones, Jack Grealish and Mateo Kovacic for the visit of the Serbian side. Stones has been out since the Community Shield, Grealish suffered a knock prior to the recent international break and Kovacic suffered a problem while away with Croatia this month.
Nathan Ake could return in defence as Pep Guardiola shuffles his pack. Kevin De Bruyne is out until the end of the year. Red Star Belgrade have no injury concerns as they take a fully fit squad to the Etihad. Manchester City tonight kick off the defence of their Champions League crown against Red Star Belgrade. The English giants finally claimed last season the trophy they so craved as part of a remarkable Treble, and now Pep Guardiola & Co. are gearing up to do it all over again. It is the first time City have faced the Serbian side, who are more commonly known as FK Crvena zvezda, and Guardiola in the build-up game highlighted their “aggressive” tactical plan and the need for his players to read situations carefully.
RB Leipzig and Young Boys make up the remainder of Group G. Man City vs FK Crvena zvezda is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off today, Tuesday, September 19, 2023. On paper, the class difference between Manchester City and Red Star is so significant that it’s not a question of whether they will win, but by how many goals the English team will triumph. Additionally, the Serbian champions experienced a cold shower before their visit to the current European champions. Indeed, Barak Bakhar’s team failed to mend the cracks in their game that were evident before the international break, as they suffered their second consecutive away defeat, this time at the hands of Cukaricki on Banovo Brdo.
That’s why the Red and Whites have little to seek on Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium, a pitch where Manchester City has strung an incredible 19 triumphs across all competitions, boasting a goal difference of 63-8. Pep Guardiola is likely to step onto the field with a blended lineup, as this match doesn’t demand his team’s full strength. In spite of this, the champions of Europe are expected to validate their prowess and dominate every dimension of the game throughout the complete 90 minutes. Consequently, we hold hope that the Citizens will kick off their Champions League title defense emphatically, preserving a clean sheet!
They came from behind to win 3-1 against West Ham United at the London Stadium this past Saturday. After James Ward-Prowse had given the Hammers against the run of play in the 36th minute, Jeremy Doku restored parity as soon as the match resumed after halftime. Bernardo Silva eventually gave City the lead after running onto a lovely lobbed ball into the box from Julian Alvarez in the 76th minute. Erling Haaland, for whom it looked like a frustrating day at the office, produced a clinical finish past a determined Alphonse Areola 10 minutes later to put the Hammers to the sword. Meanwhile, their Tuesday opponents Red Star Belgrade have looked shaky in recent weeks after a positive start. They have lost two of their last three matches after starting the campaign with four successive victories.
They fell to a 2-1 loss to FK Čukarički this Saturday and will need to address their issues at the back ahead of their visit to Manchester on Tuesday. The Serbian outfit has conceded six goals in their last three matches and if they bring that form to the Etihad, they are likely to get pummelled by Haaland and co. Apart from Kevin De Bruyne, who is set to miss three to four months due to a hamstring injury, head coach Pep Guardiola also harbors doubts over the availability of John Stones and Jack Grealish on Tuesday, as they continue their recovery from muscle and thigh injuries.
Not only that, but summer recruit Mateo Kovacic was absent from both of Croatia’s matches during the September international break due to back troubles, making it doubtful whether we’ll witness his participation against the Serbian champions. Undoubtedly, Red Star Belgrade is disheartened by their back-to-back weekend defeats, but the positive news is the comeback of one of their star players, Aleksandar Katai, following a four-month layoff due to a back injury. The 32-year-old winger may well be included in the coach’s starting lineup against the Cityzens.
Furthermore, it is expected that Barak Bakhar will reintroduce the Serbian Super Liga’s top scorer, Jean-Philippe Krasso (6 goals, 2 assists), into the attack, especially since the latest acquisition, Cherif Ndiaye, had a disappointing debut, missing a clear-cut chance against Cukaricki over the weekend.
