MCI Pre-Match Preview: Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City

Another week.. another game.. and another challenge ahead for Manchester City. This time, it is against an unfamiliar opponent who goes by the name ŠK Slovan Bratislava. The Premier League giants will be traveling away from home to the Tehelné Pole Stadium in Bratislava with both teams looking to add more points to the board in their Champions League run. Having started the competition against a difficult Inter Milan side, City currently sit in 20th place with one point on the table. However, it is still extremely early days in the competition. With Pep already mentioning he plans to field a strong line-up, we can definitely expect a resilient output from the players in this particular outing, hopefully one that ends in victory and 3 points secured. 

Predicted line-ups/analysis:

As most City fans will know, it is a tough task to predict a Pep Guardiola line-up. With a strong squad being mentioned, we should expect to see certain players chosen given their importance to the team. On the other hand, we have a handful of players who will be looking to use this match to increase their fitness or make a statement for more playing time. Without further delay, here’s who we think Pep could possibly go with:

On paper, it looks as if it should be an easy night out for the Cityzens, but the match may end up being more difficult than it may seem. While City’s 4peat of titles is impressive, Slovan Bratislava currently sit in 1st place in the Slovakia Super Liga, looking to retain the title of league winners as they have done for the last six seasons running. The Slovakian champions are also a different beast when performing at their home ground, backed by a raucous and lively atmosphere, designed to uplift their players and intimidate the opposing teams. 

But despite their formidable league form, the Slovakian side have had a rough start to their Champions League campaign this year, losing in convincing fashion to Celtic away from home. The scoreline doesn’t look very flattering in their favor (5-1), but it also doesn’t tell the full story. The game was kept pretty close for a majority of the match; by the time the official had blown the whistle for half-time they were only down by one goal, the overall score being 1-0. At about the hour mark, Celtic were awarded a penalty in which they converted to make the scoreline 3-0. The defeated side were able to claw back a goal, but from there on their defensive walls had been damaged, and Celtic were able to burst through and retain a strong result. 

Most importantly, we can expect that this club will not be ready to roll over and concede an easy victory to Manchester City. Will they have the tools to stop the onslaught that the Cityzens are capable of? It remains to be seen. Many of their goals conceded in their last fixture were a result of the opposition spreading the field and attacking through the wings, playing dangerous crosses across the box, or passing back near the 18 yard line, where their attackers were able to find enough space to penetrate a defense that looked to have a couple of vulnerabilities. City have shown a vulnerability on the counter and on the wings, with our fullbacks generally finding themselves high up the pitch and our defenders forced to cover large gaps in the middle. On the attacking end, If City are able to use their pacey wingers and play their usual possession game, they may find themselves having the same fortune as Celtic did with a flattering scoreline in their favor. 

Focus points:

• Will Foden start? Pep has said Foden will get his minutes, whether that is from the bench or with a starting position. One would think though, this would be a great opportunity for the Mancunian starman to find his form and gain consistency. 
• No Rodri, no party? Seems that many others have that opinion but City surely have the tools needed to work a replacement for the time being. Pep will likely use this opportunity to experiment a bit more as he searches for a midfield 3 that he will be able to gain trust with. 
• Grealish or Doku? While both can bring a lot of positives to the pitch, it will be interesting to see if Pep chooses pace or control against this opposition. 

Score prediction:

Many feel that this will be a one-sided match, since Celtic beat them 5-1 then there will be the feeling that City could go on to score 6 or more. Generally, that’s not Pep’s style. We see a couple of goals within the first half and a three goal lead, by which point Pep will be looking to make substitutions in order to preserve our experienced, yet older midfield players. While City haven’t been in the habit of keeping clean sheets, we feel our defenders will be determined to dominate and keep the opposition out. If City are on their absolute front foot from the beginning, it could become a drastic scoreline. Otherwise, with all of the information above in mind, we predict a clean 4-0 win to Manchester City. 

Fun facts:

• If Manchester City win or draw, they will tie the record for longest unbeaten run in European Cup/Champions League history, tying Manchester United’s 25 match unbeaten streak.
• Slovakia has waited 14 years for one of their teams to be represented in the Champions League, the last of which was MSK Zilina in 2010/2011.
• Slovan Bratislava is Slovakia’s most decorated club, sitting at 14 league titles. The Next highest is Zilina with 7.
• The Slovakian side has the nickname of “Belasi” which, funny enough, means they are also the Sky Blues
• Their Slovakian captain is in fact a former Manchester City winger. He made his way through the ranks in the academy, and had what was probably his biggest moment in a City shirt when he scored a goal in the 2008 FA Youth Cup final, propelling the team to claim victory over Chelsea. 

Written by: Rob

Edited by: Sheikh