De Bruyne’s return adds to Man City’s confidence

* 3:00, October 28, 2020, Orange Velodrome Stadium, second round of the Champions League group stage.

It took Marseille a long time to return to the European arena, the French soccer giant had its first season in the Champions League since 2013/14. However, things did not go well with Andre Villas-Boas’ teachers and students, in the first match they lost 0-1 at Olympiakos last week.

The Marseille players did not do badly against the Greek team, they had left their opponents unable to score during the official game of the 90s, but Ahmed Hassan, the substitute, had scored due to injury. hour after the assistance of former Marseille player Mathieu Valbuena, to help the home team win all three points.

Last weekend Marseille beat Lorient in Ligue 1. Although Villas-Boas hoped for a better victory, they only managed a minimal victory with Leonardo Balerdi’s only goal in the half. two. Anyway, winning the match and keeping a clean sheet also makes Villas-Boas feel satisfied.

Marseille have currently had a series of 5 undefeated matches in the Ligue 1 tournament, and a clean sheet victory will give the Villas-Boas students more confidence before facing Man City tonight in the second round of the Champions League group stage.

Marseille quickly realized the toughness of the Champions League, understood that another defeat would make the hope of fighting for tickets for the group stage, so at all costs, Marseille needed points and especially when competing . At home they should aim for three points.

Man City marched to Marseille with great concerns, especially after the 1-1 draw against West Ham United last weekend. Currently, Man City is going through a crisis of strength with many players missing due to injuries. Agüero, Ake, Jesús, Mendy and Fernandinho will not be able to play for Marseille either.

In theory, with one more victory after conquering Porto, Man City’s path will open to the group stage. However, having to play away from home will also be a big challenge in the context of the busy schedule and Guardiola will have to implement a player rotation policy to maintain the student’s form, avoiding the team. The ball runs out early.

The big question of City’s attack will give Guardiola a headache because tonight he will not have a real striker. Mahrez, Sterling and Bernardo Silva have all been used by the Spaniard in the Manchester City forward position, but they are not as effective as expected. So when Guardiola can’t sign a new striker, City has yet to accept the “pull the bear and mend the shoulder” plan and the effect certainly won’t be high.

Villas-Boas frankly admitted that he would adjust the team’s style of play to counter Manchester City’s offensive prowess, giving the home team a three-man midfield. Of course, creating a match with Man City is not easy, especially when Marseille’s attacking ability is not impressive, but the counter attack will be a completely different game.

West Ham’s lesson with Man City is still hot for Merseille. Guardiola’s army outperformed everything from ball control to shooting, but they were in a chase position and it was difficult to get a draw. If Marseille strangles the opponent’s attacks, a strong counterattack, Man City will fall into a dangerous spiral.

When Man City runs out of a number of key players, the return of Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte will be extremely important. A solid defense, a dynamic midfield with big stars who can shine to solve the match will be what Manchester City look forward to. With great talents like De Bruyne on the field, City’s winning confidence has also increased significantly.

This is the first time that Man City and Marseille have faced the Champions League, both sides will be determined to win all three points when they want to continue soon. A concession match is expected to occur at the Orange Velodrome and, with its own advantages, the two teams’ winning gates are equal.

Squad is expected to play

Marseilles: Mandanda; Caleta-Car, González, Balerdi; Sakai, Kamara, Rongier, Amavi; Thauvin, Benedetto, Payet.

City man: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko; Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Torres, Sterling, Foden.

Hao minh