Manchester City will be looking to make it two wins from two in the Champions League when they host Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night.
After a weekend of no Premier League action as a mark of respect for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, City enter the clash against Dortmund with a full week's rest under their belt. Their last outing saw Pep Guardiola's side beat Sevilla 4-0 in their Champions League opener, with Erling Haaland getting on the scoresheet once again.
The last meeting between these two sides came in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2021, with City winning 4-2 on aggregate. This will be the first time both Haaland and Manuel Akanji have faced their former side, both leaving Dortmund for City this summer.
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John Stones and Kyle Walker will both be absent along with Aymeric Laporte, with the latter set to not be risked, despite returning to training. Nathan Ake could potentially return to the starting XI after his return from injury, while Sergio Gomez could keep his place in defence after making his first start against Sevilla last week.
So, what could the score be? We simulated the game to find out. To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 22 and updated the squads with the latest transfers.
We predict that City could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Ake, Gomez; De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva; Foden, Haaland, Grealish.
We predict that Dortmund could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Meyer; Meunier, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro; Ozcan, Bellingham; Reyna, Reus, Brandt; Modeste.
Phil Foden rifled a thunderous effort off the post in the opening three minutes for City, with the warning signs already there for Dortmund. City did take the lead before the 10-minute mark, with Haaland scoring against his former club.
Foden did well down the left to latch onto a loose pass, cut inside and find Joao Cancelo inside the box. The defender squared the ball to Haaland, and the Norwegian striker placed his shot past the outstretched keeper at the near post.
As he has done all season, Haaland was causing major problems for the Dortmund defence, with the striker hitting the post moments after finding the opener with a powerful header. The second goal did eventually come though, with Foden finding the net.
A brilliant through ball from Cancelo found Kevin De Bruyne, but the Belgian's shot was smothered by the onrushing 'keeper. Luckily for City, the ball bounced back into a dangerous area, and Foden was quickest to react as he headed the ball into an empty net.
On the 81-minute mark, Mahmoud Dahoud pulled a goal back for the visitors with a free-kick to set up a nervy end to the game. Dortmund started to push for an equaliser, but an error at the back allowed City to grab their third of the game.
A mix-up between the 'keeper and Mats Hummels saw the defender slice his clearance in panic, and the ball ended up at the feet of Riyad Mahrez just inside the box. The substitute curled a wonderful effort into the far corner on his right foot to confirm the three points for City.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Man City 3-1 Borussia Dortmund
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 22 predicts that Man City could continue their impressive form with a convincing win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night. City's attacking prowess was too powerful for the visitors, with Guardiola's side producing another commanding display.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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