Shakhtar Donetsk vs Manchester City
Champions League 2019/20 season
Venue: Metalist Oblast Sports Complex
Kick-off: 8pm
Manchester City face a tough trip Ukraine to face familiar foes Shakhtar Donetsk as they begin their Champions League campaign tonight.
Man City are still reeling from a shock 3-2 defeat away to Norwich on Saturday which leaves them five points adrift of Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title.
But with Pep Guardiola eyeing a first Champions League triumph since 2011, the chance to play in Europe provides an opportunity to make amends for a rare off day at the weekend.
Shakhtar may have lost their coach Paulo Fonseca to Roma earlier this summer but the Ukrainian champions haven't lost a competitive match since February and will certainly be difficult to beat in Kharkiv.
Team news and predicted lineup
Guardiola may choose to shuffle the pack with his defence after a series of errors against Norwich City.
Full-back Joao Cancelo could make his full debut for City following his big-money move from Juventus, with the Portuguese pushing for a start in place of Kyle Walker.
Kevin De Bruyne started on the bench at Carrow Road suggesting the Belgian was being saved for Shakhtar and the playmaker is poised to take his place in the three-man midfield.
Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho could start against his former club ahead of Ilkay Gundogan after he was an unused substitute in the previous match.
Aymeric Laporte is definitely out after he was ruled out for six months with a knee injury, while Benjamin Mendy remains sidelined by injury.
Man City XI: Ederson; Joao Cancelo, Stones, Otamendi, Zinchenko; Rodri, Fernandinho, De Bruyne; Bernardo Silva, Aguero, Sterling.
Prediction: Shakhtar 1-3 Man City
Guardiola's side may be feeling fragile after their slip-up against Norwich but they had absolutely no trouble brushing aside the Ukrainian giants in last season's group stage.
They strolled to a 3-0 success here in October last year and while their defence has been somewhat porous of late, the Premier League champions have never had trouble scoring goals - especially with Aguero and Sterling both in fine form.
Expect a comfortable evening for the visitors to begin their European campaign with a morale-boosting victory.
Tickets
Click here for more information about Man City tickets.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Shakhtar to win: 9/1
- Draw: 9/2
- Man City to win: 3/10
First goalscorer
- Sergio Aguero: 13/5
- Gabriel Jesus: 10/3
- Raheem Sterling: 7/2
- Junior Moraes: 10/1
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream information
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 3 and BT Sport 3 HD.
It can also be streamed live online via the BT app and website. Coverage starts at 7.15pm.
You can follow all the action and analysis on Standard Sport's LIVE blog.
Head to head (h2h) results and history
City boast an impressive record in their four meetings with Shakhtar, winning three and scoring 12 goals and conceding just twice.
Shakhtar won 2-1 when the two sides met in December 2017 but City prevailed with a comfortable 3-0 win in October last year.
