RB Leipzig plays against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 at the Red Bull Arena in the first leg.
RB Leipzig finished second in their group stage, behind Real Madrid, and Manchester City finished on top in their group stage, ahead of Borussia Dortmund.
The German side are currently fifth in the Bundesliga and are in contention for a Champions League spot for next season. Manchester City, on the other hand, have been in turbulent form and have won only three of their last five matches in the Premier League, drawing 1-1 with Forest in their most recent outing. They are currently second in the Premier League and are in contention for the Champions League title this season.
It is yet another heavyweight tie in the competition, and all eyes will be on this one. Below, we compare the stats from their current European campaigns.
Both teams in the group stage
The viz above shows the percentile rank of both teams’ stats compared to each other as well as to other teams in the UEFA Champions League 2022–23. It can be seen that Manchester City has better stats than RB Leipzig in most of the departments. Notably, the German side has a slight upper hand in terms of key passes and recoveries per 90. Alternatively, there are a couple of departments where the hosts have similar stats, such as opposition entries per 90 and opposition xG per shot. Manchester City are ahead in passing and possession as well as xG per 90, shots per 90, and crosses per 90. Additionally, both teams have almost similar goals per 90 minutes.
RB Leipzig maintains 54.85% possession and attempts 549.17 passes on average with an accuracy of 87.5%. They make 75.17 recoveries per 90 minutes. Whereas, Manchester City keeps the ball for 65.35% of the match on average, attempting 719.67 passes with an accuracy of 90.7%. Additionally, City makes 73.33 recoveries per match.
Attacking stats
RB Leipzig have taken a total of 76 shots in six UCL matches and scored 12 goals. They accumulated 11.07 xG and scored a few goals from inside and near the six-yard box. The xG map above shows that the Bundesliga side has attempted most of their shots inside the penalty box but has also shown a desire to shoot from distance. They have scored 2.17 goals per match, averaging an xG of 1.85. They take 12.67 shots per match with a 39.5% accuracy rate.
Manchester City, on the other hand, have taken 95 shots and scored 12 goals with an xG of 11.54. They have also scored one penalty. The English club has scored most goals from in and around the six-yard box and a few from the edge of the penalty area. They scored at the rate of 2.33 goals per match while averaging 2.3 xG. The team averages 16.33 shots per game with a 41.8% success rate.
Gameplay with the ball
The above viz depicts the ball progression made by Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League 2022–23. They generate 3.17 counterattacks per 90, with 63.1% of them ending in shots. They perform 32.83 positional attacks per 90, with 21.3% ending in shots. Additionally, they make 84.67 progressive passes per 90 with 79.7% accuracy. It can be seen that most of their intensity is on either flank, and the team doesn’t use the central regions to progress forward as frequently.
In terms of attacking moves, Manchester City creates 39.17 positional attacks per 90, with 27.6% ending in shots. The team makes 0.5 counterattacks per 90 minutes, with 34% of them ending in shots. Additionally, they made 74.67 progressive passes per 90 with 85.9% accuracy in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League. It can be seen that the team makes progress up the pitch by using wider areas but does not generate attacking moves through the central zones. Most of the success can be seen on the left flank.
Defensive actions
The two visuals above compare both teams based on their defensive territory on the pitch. The Premier League side have made 30.33 interceptions compared to 33.33 by the Bundesliga side. The visitors have made fewer interceptions inside their box compared to the hosts. Overall, City makes 8.33 fouls per match, compared to the 8.0 made by Leipzig.
Additionally, it can be seen that Manchester City has a much higher backline in comparison with Leipzig and has not given away any fouls in the box as compared to the German side.
Key Player
Erling Haaland has been one of the best performers in the UEFA Champions League this season. He has scored five goals from 14 shots (4.21 xG) in four appearances, with seven shots on target (50% accuracy), making him the third-highest scorer in the competition. He has yet to provide assists but has been a key player for Manchester City. His performances have been praised, with some even calling him the best young striker in Europe. He has been a crucial part of Manchester City’s success this season and his form looks set to continue in the coming months.
Team news
Leipzig will be without Peter Gulacsi, Dani Olmo, and Abdou Diallo due to injury, with the rest of the squad good to go. whereas City will be without John Stones, who continues to recover, but otherwise Pep Guardiola has the rest of the squad at his disposal. Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte were also missing from the travelling squad.
Both teams are serious contenders for the Champions League title this season, and this match could be a deciding factor in the outcome. It will be a close match, and it will come down to which team can take their chances and make the most of the opportunities they are given. It should be an exciting contest that could go either way.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
