Man City vs. Copenhagen lineups, starting 11, team news: Pep Guardiola weighs up rotation as Anfield looms

Dom Farrell

Man City vs. Copenhagen lineups, starting 11, team news: Pep Guardiola weighs up rotation as Anfield looms image

Manchester City take a 3-1 lead into the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 encounter with FC Copenhagen on Wednesday but Pep Guardiola has a delicate balance to strike.

The City manager is loath to name anything less than a strong side for Champions League knockout games but, with a two-goal cushion and Sunday's pivotal trip to Liverpool in the Premier League on the horizon, changes are likely for the holders.

Copenhagen played City in the group stages of last season's competition and were beaten 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

The Sporting News takes a look at the team news and injury latest for each squad, and the projected starting lineups.

MORE: Premier League top goal scorers 2023/2024: Updated Golden Boot rankings

Man City vs FC Copenhagen lineups, starting 11s, team news

Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku are both absent, meaning a start on the left wing for City midfielder Matheus NunesJosko Gvardiol returns from a spell on the sidelines to start at left-back.

Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva are all among the substitutes but Erling Haaland is in from kickoff.

Man City (4-2-3-1, right to left):  Ederson (GK) — Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol — Kovacic, Rodri —Bobb, Alvarez, Nunes — Haaland.

Man City subs (12): Ortega (GK), Carson (GK), Walker, Stones, Ake, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Gomez, Foden, Wright, Susoho, Hamilton.

  • Injured: Grealish, Doku
  • Suspended: None.

Since the first leg, FC Copenhagen have lost key striker Viktor Claesson to injury. Head coach Jacob Neestrup has switched to a 5-3-2 formation and first-leg goalscorer Magnus Mattsson has to be content with place on the bench.

FC Copenhagen (4-3-3 right to left): (5-3-2 right to left): Grabara (GK) — Ankersen, Jelert, Vavro, McKenna, Diks — Froholdt, Oskarsson, Clem — Elyounoussi, Achouri.

FC Copenhagen subs (10): Runarsson (GK), Buur (GK), Sorensen, Mattsson, Larsson, Cornelius, Boilesen, Meling, Hojliund, Bardghji

  • Injured: Claesson
  • Suspended: None.

BUY NOW: Champions League Final tickets still available

Man City vs FC Copenhagen live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch this Champions League match across selected areas of the world's major regions:

Region TV Streaming
USA CBS Paramount+,
ViX, Fubo
Canada

DAZN

UK TNT Sports 1 discovery+
India JioTV, Sony LIV

USA: Champions League matches are available to stream on Paramount+ (English). New users can currently get a FREE 30-day trial by entering discount code 'GOAT' at checkout.

CBS is showing the match on TV, while ViX is the place to go for (Spanish) subscribers with Fubo offering additional options.

Canada: Every Champions League game streams live on DAZN.

UK: Matches are broadcast on TNT Sports and streamed on discovery+.

India: JioTV and Sony LIV are the live streaming options for this game.

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.