Manchester City will fly to Spain to take on Sevilla in the first match of their 2022-23 UEFA Champions League (UCL) campaign. Despite coming close to the much-coveted UCL trophy, the Cityzens have failed to win the tournament even once. City played in the tournament’s final in 2020-21, which they lost to Chelsea.
Sevilla, on the other hand, are known as the undisputed kings of the Europa League, the second division of UEFA’s intercontinental competitions, which they have won for a record six times. Three of these wins came in consecutive seasons (2014, 2015, and 2016).
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City have remained undefeated in the Premier League this season, with their new signing Erling Haaland doing justice to the huge sum of money that had been shelled out for him. Haaland scored two consecutive hattricks in the Premier League this season, and has a total of 10 goals in six matches till date.
Sevilla, in contrast, have started their domestic season poorly. They are currently 17th on the La Liga table with no win in the four matches they have played till date. Julen Lopetegui, the Sevilla manager, has been subject to boos from the stands due to the team’s poor performances this season.
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Sevilla are also suffering from the loss of their two centre-backs, Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos. Marcao and Karim Rekik’s injuries will also be a cause for concern for the Andulasian side. They also have two new midfielders in the squad- Adnan Januzaj and Isco, who will take time to adjust in their new surroundings.
Predicted lineup
Manchester City: Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Ake; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish
Sevilla: Bono; Navas, Nianzou, Fernando, Acuna; Jordan, Rakitic, Delaney; Lamela, Gomez; En-Nesyri
Besides the Sevilla vs Manchester City encounter, the first day of the 2022/23 UCL season has other important matches lined up like PSG vs Juventus and Celtic vs Real Madrid.
