Man City vs Dinamo Zagreb preview
Follow minute-by-minute updates across the Sky Sports website and app on Tuesday via our live match blog; kick-off 8pm
Tuesday 1 October 2019 14:32, UK
Team news, key stats and predictions ahead of Manchester City vs Dinamo Zagreb as the Champions League group stages continue.
Team news
Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi are expected to continue in central defence. Senior centre-backs John Stones (thigh) and Aymeric Laporte (knee) are both still sidelined, leaving manager Pep Guardiola with few other options for the Group C clash.
Winger Leroy Sane (knee) is the only other major absentee with Guardiola reporting no fresh injuries following Saturday's hard-fought win at Everton.
Opta stats
This will be Manchester City's first encounter with Dinamo Zagreb in European competition and their first ever such meeting with a Croatian side.
Dinamo Zagreb have never won away from home against English teams in all competitions in Europe, losing five of their seven trips to England (D2).
Manchester City have won their last four Champions League home games by an aggregate score of 19-4; they've never won five in a row in the competition. Indeed, City have lost only one of their last 11 home group stage matches (W9 D1 L1).
Dinamo Zagreb are winless in their last 15 Champions League away matches (D2 L13), losing each of the last 12. No side has ever lost 13 consecutive away games in the Champions League (Spartak Moscow also lost 12 between October 2000 and October 2006).
Manchester City's 3-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk was Pep Guardiola's 30th managerial UEFA Champions League win by three or more goals - only Carlo Ancelotti (32 wins)
has more by that margin in the history of the competition.
Dinamo Zagreb ended a run of 11 consecutive Champions League losses with victory over Atalanta on MD1, only once have they won in successive games in the competition (back-to-back wins in November 1998).
Charlie's prediction
We had a chuckle at the weekend about this. Pep Guardiola was resting Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Bernardo Silva, yet they still got the job done away at Everton. Aguero is his No 9 but Gabriel Jesus has found a bit of form. It was a tricky game - Manchester City never get it easy there. It was no surprise Raheem Sterling started, and he got himself on the scoresheet once again. Phil Foden needs more game-time, but the two Silvas and Aguero can come back in. He may try something defensively - Fernandinho may not be able to play three games in a week. I would not be surprised if it was a Champions League hat-trick for Aguero but Guardiola could make five or six changes and throw other people in that have something to show and prove.
CHARLIE PREDICTS: 4-0 (7/1 with Sky Bet)
How to follow with Sky Sports
Follow minute-by-minute updates across the Sky Sports website and app on Tuesday via our live match blog. Coverage will start at 6.45pm. You can also follow the action on Soccer Special on Sky Sports News.
