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Manchester City welcome Dortmund to the Etihad Stadium today as their Champions League campaign continues.
Both sides are unbeaten on seven points after fine starts to the league phase and will be aiming to protect that record.
In-form City striker Erling Haaland faces his former employers looking to add his 53 Champions League goals.
GO FURTHER
When Erling Haaland blanks, who scores? Analysing the Man City supporting cast
When Nico Gonzalez left the space for Goncalo Franco to score a stunning opener for Swansea, it looked like it might be a tough night for the Manchester City midfielder on October 29.
Eventually, City progressed to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 win, and Pep Guardiola was praising the Spanish midfielder for being “fundamental” to the team on another night of progress.
Sitting at the base of the midfield, he broke up play efficiently. He often broke lines with forward passes, completing the most passes on the pitch with 131. And no City player made more than his four tackles.
Tougher tests will come for the defensive midfielder. Yet this was the type of performance City need from him if he is going to prove not only a good investment but also a sound alternative to Rodri.
The £50million January signing may have the chance to do so again today.
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If there was a sequence which summed up John Stones' importance to Manchester City, it came ahead of Erling Haaland's opener on Tuesday October 21 as City beat Villarreal 2-0 in Spain.
Who was at the heart of the move? The same ubiquitous figure and human pendulum: Stones. It was a goal that was only possible with him deployed in his hybrid, treble-winning role as half-centre-back, half-centre-midfielder.
When he is fit, there is no other defender in world football who can do what he does, timing perfectly when to drop back and when to step into the play.
His composure while being pressed and ability to switch play quickly to find the overload is key for City.
He is unlikely to be able to play the majority of games in this demanding role, but if he is available for Pep Guardiola to pick and choose when he lets him off the leash, then Stones could be key in City’s chances of competing on all fronts.
Here's how Manchester City's three European matches so far this season have shaken out.
Two strong, confident victories bookmarked by a four-goal draw with French side Monaco, who gave them a tough test.
One expects Dortmund to provide a similarly stern examination today.
After last night, half of the teams in this season's Champions League have played four matches while the other half have only played three.
That makes it a particular great achievement for Manchester City and Dortmund — as well as Inter — to still be in the top 10 of the league-phase table having played one game fewer.
Both teams are unbeaten in Europe this season having won two and drawn one of their opening three matches.
After yesterday's slate of nine fixtures, there are nine more today.
5:45pm
8pm
All times GMT
We will bring you key updates from the other matches too.
There were plenty of big games in the Champions League last night and the biggest of them saw Liverpool triumph against Real Madrid in a repeat of the 2018 and 2022 finals.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich continued their 100 per cent start to the season with a 2-1 win at Paris Saint-Germain, despite spending a good chunk of the game down to 10 men.
Arsenal eased past Slavia Prague, as did Tottenham against Copenhagen and Atletico Madrid were big winners at home.
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Etihad Stadium, Manchester
The City of Manchester Stadium, AKA The Etihad for sponsorship reasons.
Opened in 2002 as an athletics stadium and the following year as a football stadium, it holds 53,600 people.
The ground has hosted bands as varied as local music acts Oasis, Beyonce and Muse.
Fancy tuning in to the action on TV alongside our live coverage here? No problem. Here's how you can do it.
The match kicks off at 8pm GMT in the UK.
That works out as 3pm ET on the east coast of the United States and 12pm PT, noon, on the west coast.
Hello and welcome one and all to The Athletic, where today we have more Champions League action for you.
This evening, Manchester City take on Borussia Dortmund, two clubs who have both reached the final across the last three seasons.
Pep Guardiola's men have been inconsistent this season, as have Borussia Dortmund, but both sides are flying high in the European league phase.
We have all the build-up between now and kick-off, from stats and quotes to analysis and tactical previews of how it will all play out.
So why would you want to be anywhere else?
Manchester City vs Dortmund live updates: Champions League game team news, predictions and more – The Athletic – The New York Times
