Manchester City take on Czech champions Sparta Prague on Matchday 3 of the Champions League league phase on Wednesday night.
After being held to a stalemate by Inter in a repeat of the 2023 final on Matchday 1, City cruised to all three points away at rookies Slovan Bratislava last time out with six games remaining.
Pep Guardiola’s side remain unbeaten in all competitions this term, but there’s a sense that this City team isn’t quite as infallible compared to previous iterations with midfield lynchpin Rodri out for the season.
Wednesday’s opponents Sparta have matched City’s four-point haul through two games. The Czech side’s European history is far from rich, but they’re the dominant force domestically having won the Czech First League for the 14th time last season.
Sparta started their league phase campaign with a convincing victory over RB Salzburg before they picked up a respectable point at Stuttgart on Matchday 2.
Man City lineup vs Sparta Prague (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Ake; Nunes, Gundogan; Bernardo, Foden, Grealish; Haaland.
Sparta Prague lineup vs Man City (3-4-3): Vindahl; Vitik, Panak, Zeleny; Preciado, Kairinen, Laci, Wiesner; Birmancevic, Rrahmani, Haraslin.
