Manchester City begin their quest for their first UEFA Champions League title when they travel to Sevilla in Spain. The defending English Premier League champions have made an unbeaten start to the season, while Sevilla have struggled at the start of the season.
Sevilla have started the season poorly and have only earned a single point this season. They have scored three goals with an average xG rate of 1.28. Their defence has conceded eight goals with an xGA rate of 1.8. They lost their last game 0-3 against Barcelona.
Manchester City have made an unbeaten start to the season with four wins and two draws. They have scored 20 goals with an xG rate of 2.4. Their defence has conceded six goals with an xGA rate of 0.75. City were left disappointed after a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa.
We look at some of the stats to predict the outcome of the match.
Sevilla’s attacking struggles
Sevilla have struggled to convert most of their opportunities this season. They average 27.75 positional attacks per match and 11 shots with an accuracy rate of 34.1%. Sevilla forwards have shot conversion issues. 44 shots have been attempted but only three have found the back of the net. In the last match, most of the attacks came from the left, but the highest xG was generated from the centre. It is difficult to break Manchester City’s defence from the centre, and they have to be more clinical with their finishing.
Manchester City’s attacking style
Manchester City play a high attacking line. In the last match, they created more chances from the left side. City averaged 36.33 positional attacks and 16.5 shots per match with a 39.4% accuracy rate. Kyle Walker is set to miss this match, and Joao Cancelo will shift to the right side. This implies that the City may direct its attacks from that direction.
Recoveries in crucial areas
Manchester City make recoveries in crucial zones, especially the middle third. They made 39 recoveries in the middle third in the last game. This shows that City play a high attacking line, and the recoveries in these crucial zones put pressure on the opposition players. It will be difficult for Sevilla to play an attacking style of football.
Team news
Sevilla’s manager has a big concern about the fitness of Erik Lamela and Fernando. He will make some changes to the starting XI after their disappointing loss against Barcelona.
The visitors have new injury concerns as Kyle Walker and John Stones are set to miss this match. Manuel Akanji will be hoping to make his debut for the English club.
Manchester City look like the favourites to win this match. They have high attacking efficiency and carry a lot of attacking threats. Sevilla have struggled to find and score goals, and that will be an issue against this City side. They will be happy if they get any points from this game.
Visuals via Wyscout
