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A place in the Champions League semi-final is on the line as Manchester City and Bayern Munich clash in the quarter-final.
Bayern Munich travel to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday to take on Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash.
The two teams are among the favourites to win the competition this season, but unfortunately, one of them will miss out.
Manchester City have never won the Champions League in their history, although they have gone close on a few occasions.
City’s manager, Pep Guardiola has received criticisms for his failure to win the Champions League with the club despite winning four Premier League titles in the last five seasons.
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Guardiola’s City are the favourite this season and will hope that this is their year as the competition enters the latter stages.
However, in Bayern, they face a formidable foe, who will attempt to be the latest team to end Guardiola’s Champions League dream with Manchester City.
While the Premier League champions are the favourites across the two legs, Bayern have some great players who could hurt Man City’s chances.
We take a look at some of the Bayern players who could end Guardiola’s dream of winning the Champions League with Manchester City.
Sadio Mane
Mane is no stranger to Manchester City, having faced them multiple times during his time at Liverpool.
The Senegal international faced Manchester City 19 times at Liverpool, winning seven and losing the same number of games.
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But more importantly, Mane has Man City’s number. The former RB Salzburg man scored ten goals and created two more in his previous 19 games against the Premier League champions.
One of his ten goals came in the Champions League quarter-finals, and he will be hoping to replicate that on Tuesday.
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Man City will have to be wary of Mane, with his pace likely to trouble the English side’s defence.
Given Manchester City will be out on the attack, Mane’s pace will be key for Bayern in counter-attacking situations.
Leroy Sane
Like Mane, Leroy Sane is also familiar with City, but for different reasons. While Mane played against the Citizens at Liverpool, Sane comes into the clash as a former Manchester City player.
The Germany international spent four years at Manchester City before signing for Bayern Munich in 2020.
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Sane has not really lit up the Allianz Arena since he arrived, with his performance full of ups and downs.
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However, he has been good for the Bavaria giants in the Champions League this season, scoring four goals in six games and setting up another two.
One advantage that works for Sane is that he is versatile and can play anywhere in Bayern Munich’s attack.
This will probably keep Guardiola and his boys guessing ahead of the match. Sane needs no bigger motivation for this game than to knock out Guardiola and his boys.
Joao Cancelo
Cancelo is another player that is familiar with Pep Guardiola and Manchester City as he is currently on loan at Bayern from the club.
The Portuguese full-back will be eager to prove Guardiola wrong as he is on loan because he does not fit into Guardiola’s tactical plan.
In fairness, Cancelo has not done much to show that City were wrong to let him leave, but he has a chance to show that in the two massive Champions League tie.
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The former Juventus man is likely to play as a wing-back depending on the tactical plan Thomas Tuchel applies.
Although Cancelo’s weakness is his defending, his attacking play can hurt Guardiola and his men.
Joshua Kimmich
While Joshua Kimmich is not a former Manchester City, he honed his skills under Pep Guardiola during the Spaniard’s time as Bayern Munich’s manager.
Since then, he has gone on to become one of the best right-backs to arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world.
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It will not be an exaggeration to say Kimmich is the heart of Bayern Munich. While his attacking output may not be as strong as that of Mane and Sane, his work in the middle of the park will be key for Bayern Munich.
He has three assists in the Champions League from his position in the middle of the park. Bayern may not look at Kimmich for creativity but his passing will be key.
He has created four big chances in the Champions League this season with a pass accuracy of 82% in the opposition half.
Thomas Tuchel
Tuchel is not a player but his presence on the touchline will strike fear into Manchester City and Guardiola’s hearts.
Although Guardiola leads the head-to-head 6-3, he lost three consecutive games to Tuchel, during the German’s time at Chelsea.
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One of those defeats came in the Champions League final, with Tuchel outcoaching arguably the greatest manager of all time.
Tuchel will draw confidence from that encounter going into their next battle. The German is one of the best tactical minds out there, so this promises to be an interesting battle.
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