Manchester City, the dominant team in England for the past decade, is looking to reach the quarterfinals for the sixth straight season but has never won European football’s biggest prize, the Champions League. The team’s only appearance in the final came in 2021, when it lost 1-0 to Chelsea in Porto.
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Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne knows the “noise” will get bigger around City in the competition the longer the team backed by Abu Dhabi wealth goes without winning it.
“We’ve not won it but I feel we’ve done really well in the Champions League,” he said. “I know people base everything on only winning but I feel there’s been a lot of circumstances in these types of games.
“Obviously I want to win it, but I know as long as we don’t, I will get the same question. And I’m fine that people judge you on that.”
RB Leipzig is coming off a 3-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday, a game that saw Spain midfielder Dani Olmo come off the bench for his first appearance since January after a leg injury. France striker Christopher Nkunku is likely to miss out with a thigh muscle injury.
City is unbeaten at home in the Champions League for more than four years. That run includes a 6-3 win over Leipzig in the group stage two seasons ago.
It also has also won all six home games in domestic competitions in 2023. Extending the streak to seven will send the club to the quarterfinals for the sixth straight year under coach Pep Guardiola in its quest to be European champion for the first time.
Guardiola last lifted the trophy 12 years ago with Barcelona
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