Leipzig present a tough Champions League proposition to Guardiola

T he last time RB Leipzig visited Manchester City, they attacked with gusto. They were brave and bold. Christopher Nkunku bagged a hat-trick. A repeat of that this week wouldn’t be enough. City returned fire with interest, scoring six.

That was back in September 2021 under Jesse Marsch, with the team struggling for identity and control, despite the club going for continuity in appointing from the Red Bull stable. By the time the teams met again in Saxony for the return leg in December, Marsch had been shown the door and the club were about to appoint Domenico Tedesco – whose last match in charge of Schalke had been at the Etihad in March 2019, a chastening 7-0 defeat, if we’re looking to bring the City link full circle.

Now the connections matter less, even if Leipzig will return on Tuesday with much of the same personnel. Of the XI who simultaneously chased and were given a chasing that night in Manchester, only Nordi Mukiele and Angeliño are no longer at the club. For what it’s worth, the former scored an own goal that night while the latter was sent off, to warm applause from the fans of his former club.

Marco Rose was born in the city in which he now works and was also seen as a safe pair of hands, having coached Red Bull Salzburg to successive Austrian Bundesliga titles in 2018 and 2019, thus knowing the system. Yet the contrast with Marsch’s reign couldn’t be greater. Since Rose took over in September, three days before his 46th birthday, no team in the Bundesliga has won as many points as Leipzig, a position maintained by Saturday’s 3-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Their ruthlessness has really caught the eye under Rose. They defend efficiently – progress for the coach, whose defence at Borussia Dortmund