Man City v Young Boys LIVE: Champions League result and reaction as City cruise into knockouts
Man City 3-0 Young Boys: City qualified for the knockout stages with two games to spare after brushing aside their Swiss opponents
Manchester City qualified for the Champions League knockout rounds with a comfortable and comprehensive victory over Swiss side Young Boys at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola decided to risk starting Erling Haaland for the game after the striker was subbed off early at the weekend. It proved a great decision as the Norwegian opened the scoring, converting a penalty won by Matheus Nunes being brought down in the box.
City never looked uncomfortable and when the second goal went in, netted by a lovely finish from Phil Foden after he received a cross field pass from Jack Grealish, the hosts knew the game was done.
Sandro Lauper made a tough night more difficult for the visitors by getting himself sent off after accumulating two yellow cards but the last word went to Haaland. He added City’s third with a glorious strike across the box that saw the ball rocket into the far top corner.
Relive the Champions League action below plus get the latest odds and tips for this match right here:
Young Boys expect to face fearsome Man City side, with or without Erling Haaland
Young Boys coach Raphael Wicky expects to face a fearsome Manchester City side on Tuesday, whether it includes Erling Haaland or not.
Haaland, City’s prolific Norwegian striker, is doubtful for the holders’ Champions League Group G clash against the Swiss outfit at the Etihad Stadium with an ankle injury.
The 23-year-old, who scored 52 goals in City’s treble-winning campaign last season, has already netted 13 times this season including two against Wicky’s team in Bern last month.
Young Boys expect to face fearsome Man City side, with or without Erling Haaland
Haaland, City’s prolific Norwegian striker, is doubtful for the holders’ Champions League Group G clash against the Swiss outfit.
Erling Haaland starts
There was talk that Erling Haaland may not be risked tonight given the strong position City occupy in Group G. But Pep Guardiola clearly wants to get qualification rubber-stamped and the prolific Norwegian starts.
Man City team news
The Man City team is out and Haaland, Grealish and Foden all start in attack. A bit of rotation further back though as both Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes get a start.
Man City XI: Ederson, Akanji, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Lewis, Nunes, Foden, Grealish, Haaland
Manchester City vs Young Boys prediction
Even with the potential absence of Erling Haaland, Manchester City possess enough skill and firepower to make this match a foregone conclusion.
They scored three goals against Young Boys away from home so expect them to increase their tally in what should be a comfortable home win.
Manchester City 5-1 Young Boys.
Manchester City vs Young Boys
Young Boys are top of the Swiss Super League, but only have one point from their three Champions League games and will be unable to make the last 16 if they lose to City and RB Leipzig win away at Red Star Belgrade.
How to watch Man City vs Young Boys
Manchester City vs Young Boys is due to kick off at 8pm GMT on Tuesday 7 November at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage on the channel from 7pm GMT. Subscribers will be able to watch online via Discovery+.
Manchester City vs Young Boys early team news
Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Gomez remain absent for Manchester City, while Erling Haaland may not be risked with a couple of crucial Premier League encounters on the horizon.
Midfielder Sandro Lauper was dismissed in Young Boys’ weekend victory over Winterthur but will be able to feature in European competition, while forward Meschak Elia should be fit to feature. Kastriot Imeri and Lukasz Lakomy are out.
Manchester City vs Young Boys
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Champions League action as Manchester City host Young Boys at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s men are unbeaten in the European top flight this year having won all three of their group matches so far and another victory tonight would see them qualify for the knockout rounds with two games to play.
Erling Haaland is a doubt for the match but was seen training with the team during the week so should be available to play some part this evening.
We’ll have all the build-up, team news and match action throughout the night so stick around...
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