MANCHESTER CITY started the season like the kings of Europe but they head into this Champions League clash with RB Leipzig under a little bit of pressure after losing two successive games on the domestic front.
Most pundits had already handed the Premier League crown to Pep Guardiola's side after they rattled off six wins a row but City followed up a League Cup exit at Newcastle by crashing 2-1 at Wolves on Saturday.
That has cut their lead at the top to just a point and Guardiola's men now face a tough run of games, with Arsenal, Brighton and Manchester United their next three fixtures in the league.
So Manchester City will be desperate to get back to winning ways in Germany and seize control of Champions League Group G after kicking off their European campaign with a 3-1 home win over Red Star Belgrade.
The Serbians bust the coupon of our man Mark by taking a shock half-time lead but City roared back after the break to show their class. At the same time, RB Leipzig were easing to a 3-1 win over Young Boys in Switzerland, underlining their status as favourites to join City in the knockout stages.
Marco Rose's side have made an impressive start to the new season and their only defeat so far came in a five-goal thriller on the road at Leverkusen, a tough venue.
They should have beaten Bayern Munich at the weekend after racing into a 2-0 lead but had to settle for a 2-2 draw as Harry Kane capped a comeback from the Bundesliga champions.
That shows RB Leipzig can give the best in Europe a bloody nose when they're on top form so Manchester City will need to step things up after two poor displays on domestic duty.
How the bookies view it
Despite their recent slump, Manchester City are odds-on favourites here at a best 14/19 with VBet. RB Leipzig look a bit overpriced at 15/4 with BetUK while the draw pays 16/5 at William Hill.
Head to head
These sides are becoming familiar foes after facing each other in the Champions League in two of the last three seasons. Manchester City have romped to 6-3 and 7-0 wins at the Etihad but they've yet to taste success in Leipzig, following up a 2-1 defeat with a 1-1 draw there last year.
Players to watch
Lois Openda has started most games up front for RB Leipzig this season and the Belgian has four goals to his name. He scored at the weekend against Bayern and is 13/5 at William Hill to grab another.
Erling Haaland netted five in that rout of RB Leipzig last term and will be desperate to open his European account for this campaign after drawing a blank in the win over Red Star. He's just 5/6 at Paddy Power for a goal but McBookie price him at 19/4 to net with a header.
Anything else catch the eye?
Goals are usually guaranteed when these sides face off, with their four previous meetings producing 21 strikes in total. That's why BTTS is just 9/13 at VBet while over 2.5 goals is the same price at the same firm. Going to over 3.5 goals takes you to 7/4 at Paddy Power while over 1.5 first-half strikes pays 6/4 with the same firm.
Manchester City have dominated the corner count in previous games with RB Leipzig and that makes them worth a look in that handicap. Bet365 price Manchester City -2 at evens and over 5.5 City corners is 10/11 with Unibet.
This UEFA Champions League match between RB Leipzig and Manchester City will be played on Oct 4, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best RB Leipzig vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
