Sports
Erling Haaland scores flying backheel as Man City destroy Sparta Prague
It is not just the number of goals Erling Haaland has for Manchester City and the rate at which they are scored, but it is also the different ways he can find the net. Here, he defied logic and gravity with an extraordinary piece of athleticism to score his 102nd for his club.
Haaland was in mid-air when he met Savinho’s cross, facing the wrong direction but managing to twist his body and backheel towards goal. As he met the ball, his Nike Phantom boot was head-high but generated enough power to comfortably get past Sparta Prague goalkeeper Peter Vindahl.
There have been famous goals at the Etihad Stadium, with Sergio Aguero top of the list. But this would be the most spectacular. Yes, Haaland scored a similar-style goal against his old club Borussia Dortmund, but this one was executed six feet in the air.
What would you call this goal? It was not a scissor-kick or scorpion kick. And simple ‘backheel’ does not do it justice. The Haaland Hammer, perhaps.
It raises a question about who else could possibly pull-off a finish like fans at the Etihad witnessed. They also saw a routine Champions League group-stage win, with Phil Foden scoring early, John Stones finding the net and Haaland following up his jaw-dropping goal with a more simple finish.
Haaland, subbed off with 10 minutes left to a standing ovation, has 44 goals in the Champions League now in 42 games – it is a record as stunning as the finish he managed here. He moved past Neymar’s tally in the competition and, to put that in context, the Brazilian took 81 games to reach that many goals.
The Norwegian is economical with his involvement in the game. His goal was his 12th touch of the match and eight of those were shots. But what a touch it was. “He can touch the ball 15 or 20 times but have seven or eight chances. It’s unbelievable,” said City manager Pep Guardiola.
A goal only Haaland could score
It was the archetypal Erling Haaland goal: the fusion of minimal involvement and maximum impact. There was an audible intake of breathe as it was shown on the big screens inside the Etihad Stadium. In an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport last year, the striker talked about how he feels like a “zombie” on the pitch before he makes a decisive intervention, a quick movement, an emphatic finish and here was a prime example of what the world’s deadliest goalscorer means by that.
1. The anticipation
Haaland was walking towards goal when Savinho gained possession down the right. He sensed the opportunity and broke into a jog. Haaland then drifted behind the two centre-halves in anticipation. Neither were quite sure where he was.
2. The movement
Savinho has beaten full-back Matej Rynes and is delivering his cross. Now comes the crucial movement from Haaland, who uses his left leg to shift his body back towards the ball, pushing off with power and away from Martin Vitik, who has been distracted by the ball and has lost Haaland (left in the image below) who is also using his arms to generate more sharp speed. It is a fatal error by the defender.
3. The leap
Haaland has eyes only on the ball and how he can reach it. By now it has passed over Filip Panak’s head and Vitik has definitely lost the striker. Still, what can Haaland do as the delivery is slightly behind him? He has already demonstrated his ability to shift in the air and still gain power with a header. But this time it is all about his leap, all about his athleticism and all those hours of stretching, movement and yoga that gives such flexibility to his 6ft 5in frame.
4. The connection
Many players might have reached Savinho’s cross. Very few – anyone but Haaland? – would have been able to generate the power and accuracy he does despite facing away from goal. How to describe the finish? An acrobatic backheel volley? It barely does it justice and goalkeeper Peter Vindahl has no chance. Despite, in theory, being marked by two defenders, Haaland has found the space and dexterity to execute an astonishing finish without actually having to move that much. It is about the timing. The Zombie came to life. As he always does in front of goal.
5. The reaction
As the ball headed goalwards, beating keeper Vindahl on his left, the looks on the faces of the Prague defenders conveyed their disbelief.
Speaking after the game, Foden said: “ I don’t know how he does it. If I tried to do that I’d pull my groin! It’s just how long his legs are – he’s a freak, isn’t he?” Matheus Nunes added: “It was an amazing goal, I was speechless after he shot. When he scored against Dortmund I was watching on TV, and to see this live, it was amazing.”
Guardiola was blocked by a player and did not see Haaland’s finish at the time, then viewed the replay after the final whistle. “He made an incredible goal, similar to Dortmund a few years ago. I don’t know which one is more difficult, you would have to ask him.” So the finish is normal? “For a human being I would say, no,” added the City manager.
“He scores strange goals, he scores good goals, he scored with the head, with foot, and now this,” Guardiola’s Sparta Prague counterpart, Lars Friis, added: “Until that we had good hands on him.”
10:32 PM BST
Foden is back on song
While Haaland has been prolific all season, this match will also mark the return of Foden. There was a hint from Guardiola ahead of this victory that Foden has been looking to get mentally, as well as physically, fit this season.
“With Phil, you realise immediately when he’s happy and fit and mentally in the right moment….you realise immediately he’s getting better and better,” said Guardiola.
As he wheeled away in celebration just a few minutes after kick-off, there was a beaming smile on Foden’s face and he looked mentally, physically – totally – in the right place. It has been a slow start to the campaign for the PFA player of the year. Last season he was in almost every starting line-up for Guardiola but it has been a different story.
The summer at the European Championship with England took its toll, at the very least in terms of pre-season. Foden and his England team-mates returned later than most of the squad after reaching the final stage of the tournament. There was a stomach problem which sidelined him, with Guardiola gesturing to his abdomen when asked to explain the issue.
It was only Foden’s fourth start of the season, all of those coming in the last month, which tallies with Guardiola’s assessment of his player getting “better and better”. He is in a better place, but where is best on the pitch will always spark debate.
Here, he started in central midfield and it was difficult for Sparta Prague to know how to deal with his runs from deep. His goal, after 150 seconds, came after Manuel Akanji fed him the ball on the edge of the area, he skipped past Qazim Laci and Kaan Kairinen before driving into the bottom corner.
Foden looks comfortable as a No8. He was positioned slightly more advanced than Ilkay Gundogan and to his right, able to make late runs into the penalty area like Frank Lampard used to.
“I’ve had a pretty slow start to the season so it’s just getting a bit match sharp,” said Foden. “It’s very good for my confidence, obviously scoring and getting back out there and feeling sharp again. I’m going in the right direction.
“Off of being the best player last year, that’s the standard that everyone wants to see and that’s the standard I set myself. The season is long enough to get back to my level. I just need to keep going. I’m always putting pressure on myself to get better in training and do better things.”
10:31 PM BST
Pep Guardiola speaking post-match to TNT
“We’re playing good, we don’t concede anything in 90 minutes. I didn’t expect Sparta to defend so deep, because against Salzburg and Stuttgart, they played offensively and tried to do it. The moment we broke the game with 2-0, it was easier.
On the special Haaland goal
Listen, I saw when the ball came in but look at that. It’s unbelievable, with his touch, he’s so tall and flexible. I like it, I like it, he has this sense of humour. Quite similar to the goal in Dortmund [in 2022]. I don’t know which one is more difficult, maybe you have to ask him.
What a smiling Haaland was saying to Pep after going off
We play a lot of games and Erling knows he’s going to be replaced because in three days, we have another one, Southampton. All the time, he understands the decisions, he’s so generous with the team, it’s an incredible joy to have him.
On a striker-esque Stones finish
When Erling is not going to be play, John [Stones] is going to play as a striker. I remember Pique at Barcelona, they have an incredible sense.
10:14 PM BST
Man of the match Phil Foden’s reflections to TNT Sports
On the win, Pep talk and staying patient:
It was important to get the win tonight. I think in the first half, they did a few things to frustrate us. They were good on the counter-attack, to be fair. In the second half, we broke them down more and finished more chances, which was nice to see.
He said ‘boys, you have to just stay patient and they’re sat so deep it’s going to be difficult to break them down. Don’t try and rush things, play at our own pace and I think we did that in the second half.
On his goal and high expectations:
I’ve had a pretty slow start to the season so it’s just getting a bit match sharp. It’s very good for my confidence, obviously scoring and getting back out there and feeling sharp again. I’m going in the right direction.
Off of being the best player last year, that’s the standard that everyone wants to see and that’s the standard I set myself. The season is long enough to get back to my level. I just need to keep going. I’m always putting pressure on myself to get better in training and do better things.
On “freak” Haaland’s sensational goal:
I said to him just now ‘if I tried to do that, I’d pull my groin.’ I don’t know how he does it. I think it’s just how long his legs are, he’s a freak! He has this talent that nobody else can do.
10:02 PM BST
A record for Man City (as UEFA don’t count their loss on penalties to Real Madrid last year)
10:00 PM BST
Match stats
Possession: Manchester City 81%-19% Sparta Prague
Attempts: 22-5
Attempts on target: 9-1
Corners: 7-1
09:57 PM BST
Matheus Nunes speaks to TNT Sports
Of course, it was [a relief to score first]. It makes it easier for us because we have more of the ball, we have more calm, we don’t have to be in a rush to finish the play.
On whether it was frustrating to only be a goal up at half-time:
No. If it ended up with 1-0, we’d still have the three points. Our aim is to win the game, it doesn’t matter if it’s one or five-nil, it doesn’t make a difference for us. It’s still a win.
On Haaland’s awe-inspiring second goal:
It was an amazing goal. I was speechless after his shot. When he scored against Dortmund, I was watching on TV. To see it live was amazing.
09:50 PM BST
Full-time
The final whistle goes. Manchester City have beaten Sparta Prague 5-0.
They really got into their groove early in the second-half and showed their quality. That Haaland back heel/kung fu kick to make it two will live long in the memory. A match like this is bread and butter for the 2023 European champions.
That moves them up to third place in the Champions League standings on seven points. Just two other English sides – Liverpool and Aston Villa – will be ahead of them, as long as Arne Slot’s side hold on for one more minute in Leipzig.
09:48 PM BST
90 mins: Manchester City 5 Sparta Prague 0
Two minutes of stoppage time to be played. I reckon that’s kind, saving the Czech champs from more punishment.
No surprise, Manchester City have the ball and play it out from the back. Pep will be purring after this second half.
09:46 PM BST
GOAL! Nunes penalty
Nunes steps up and belts it into the top-left corner of the net. Unstoppable.
That seals a fine night for City. They ought to move into third place in the Champions League on seven points with only Liverpool and Aston Villa ahead of them.
09:44 PM BST
85 mins: Manchester City 4 Sparta Prague 0
Penalty for Manchester City.
Matheus Nunes went up against Preciado, man on man, down the left, and the Ecuadorean player got beaten for pace. Legs together, he slid, took down Nunes and that’s pretty stonewall.
09:41 PM BST
81 mins: Manchester City 4 Sparta Prague 0
The Sparta Prague fans have not stopped singing or waving their scarves. Admirable visiting support.
Foden very nearly sets Nunes free with a delightful through ball but the Sparta goalkeeper nicks it off his toe with a clearance. All the sting has gone out of this game, and there wasn’t much to begin with, frankly.
09:38 PM BST
77 mins: Manchester City 4 Sparta Prague 0
Haaland sweeps in a cross-shot from the edge of the box after a McAtee effort was blocked, which goes just past the left post. That’s his last act of the match as he is replaced by teenage talent Nico O’Reilly – and looks reluctant to go off. The hat-trick wa on, after all.
A replay flashes up of the Norwegian’s second goal. That’ll be all over social media tonight and tomorrow. A generational talent, Haaland.
09:34 PM BST
Happy days for Haaland and company
09:33 PM BST
74 mins: Manchester City 4 Sparta Prague 0
Stones and Ake come off. The Englishman slaps Guardiola’s back in a hearty embrace. They’re replaced by Gvardiol and Ruben Dias.
Preciado kicks the ball out when trying to go down the line. Sparta Prague have been outclassed tonight. Taking anything from Manchester City was always going to be an immense ask.
09:30 PM BST
Back to that sensational second goal from Haaland
We are fumbling for a proper description of that Erling Haaland goal – was it an acrobatic back-heel volley or something else? Whatever it was it begs the question as to whether any other Premier League player could have scored it.
Haaland showed similar athleticism in scoring another wonder volley, also in the Champions League, against his former club Borussia Dortmund – and into the same goal at the Etihad… he has just followed it up with a more routine finish and so now it is 44 goals in 42 Champions League games. What a record.
09:29 PM BST
71 mins: Man City 4 Sparta Prague 0
In the blink of an eye, the game has run away from the Czech visitors.
Bernardo Silva trots off, replaced by James McAtee. Kovacic comes on for Ilkay Gundogan. Job done.
09:26 PM BST
GOAL! Haaland gets his second
Man City are full of confidence and in overdrive, Sparta are falling apart.
The space opened up and the home side made no mistake. Foden played it to Nunes, who picked out Haaland on the edge of the box. He paused, cut in between two centre-backs and lashed the ball beyond the diving goalkeeper and into the right corner. That’s 4-0.
09:23 PM BST
GOAL! Stones header seals it
Gundogan played it to Nunes, who played in a delicious cross. John Stones put it across goal from the right edge of the six-yard box and into the back of the net, while backpedalling. A fine header, looping into the goal, and Vindahl Jensen in goal could only watch.
Manchester City have found their finishing ability.
09:21 PM BST
62 mins: Manchester City 2 Sparta Prague 0
Rapinha has made it 4-1 for Barcelona against Bayern Munich. Tonight at least, what does misery like? Kompany.
Ake and Nunes combine on the left, and the Dutchman’s attempted cross is blocked. Gundogan’s corner is returned to him by a Sparta head.
09:17 PM BST
GOAL! Acrobatic Haaland stunner makes it two
What a finish from Erling Haaland to give Manchester City a second goal and a valuable cushion.
Savinho stop-started and beat his man easily and, running towards the Brazilian’s cross from the right wing, Haaland threw himself at the ball with his left heel first, flicking it into the corner. Incredible athleticism, completely intentional too. Vindahl Jensen wasn’t expecting it and couldn’t move fast enough.
I’ve not seen technique or a goal like that. It’s been coming.
09:14 PM BST
56 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Haaland’s header from the six-yard box is kept out by Peter Vindahl Jensen. Savinho lofted it over and the Norwegian outmuscled and got ahead of his man, but it was straight at the Danish goalkeeper who stopped it smartly. If he keeps this up, he’ll be man of the match.
09:10 PM BST
53 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
City come forward again, patiently moving the ball left and right on the edge of the box. They are trying to fashion an opening. Then Bernardo Silva gives it straight to a Sparta player, though their bid to break comes to nought.
09:06 PM BST
48 minutes: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Ake makes it two… no, he does not. It has been chalked off by the VAR.
Foden with the corner, a flick from a Sparta head at the front post, Haaland tried to squeeze it in and the ball hit the post.
Vindahl Jensen stopped Ake’s initial effort at point-blank range on the goal line – and it came back off the Dutchman’s hand before he could put it over the line. Handball.
09:04 PM BST
46 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Substitution for Sparta Prague at half-time, with Krasniqi coming on for Haraslin. Maybe the front man picked up a knock.
The home side are out of the block fast, forcing a corner from a Savinho cross.
09:01 PM BST
Match struggles to catch fire – is the new Champions League format to blame?
As a Champions League tie this one has been a hard sell so far which may raise questions over the competition’s new, enlarged group stage format. But, in truth, this may well have been a game in the previous four-team group stage structure.
So what is the answer to bringing more excitement to the Champions League? Smaller groups? Bigger groups? No groups? Expanding into one huge group will not work if we get these kind of ties, though.
That is not to say Sparta do not deserve to be in the competition but it does not feel like what should be a Champions League tie. Maybe the second-half will prove that wrong.
08:58 PM BST
Sparta Prague still in the game
Plenty of reasons to be cheerful for the Czech champions. Never mind their 20% possession: they have had a few dangerous counter-attacks and grown into the game after that iffy start.
Besides, seven months ago, Sparta Prague were already 4-0 down at half-time against Liverpool and on the way to a trouncing.
No wonder Pep Guardiola is not best pleased.
08:52 PM BST
Scores from around the grounds
Here are the other half-time scores in the Champions League matches this evening.
You can follow Kieran Crichard’s live updates from the Liverpool game here. Darwin Nunez has given Arne Slot’s side the advantage in Germany.
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Lille
Barcelona 3-1 Bayern Munich
Benfica 0-2 Feyenoord
RB Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool
Red Bull Salzburg 0-0 Dinamo Zagreb
Young Boys 0-0 Inter Milan
08:47 PM BST
Half-time
One minute of added time in a first-half that has been mainly one-way traffic. Savinho resists a robust Slavia Prague challenge and plays it to Foden in a bid to get a ball over, but the referee blows the whistle.
Pep Guardiola throws his arm up angrily as he turns to go down the tunnel. He doesn’t look happy. Still, Manchester City are 1-0 up at half-time.
08:45 PM BST
City on top but lacking width on the attack
While not exactly exasperated Pep Guardiola is demanding a bit more urgency – and width – from Manchester City. Predictably they have completely dominated Sparta Prague but still only have Phil Foden’s early goal to show for it.
Sparta have also been dangerous on the counter-attack and have shown why they have themselves scored so freely this season, while also already collecting four points in the Champions League.
City are missing Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku and the lack of wide players is an issue for them. Their main outlet is Savinho down the right and they cannot really get Matheus Nunes involved at present. Through injuries, Guardiola has very few options on the bench which is extraordinary given the strength of his squad with just five outfield players named among his substitutes.
08:44 PM BST
43 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Robert Lewandowski has put Barcelona back in front against Bayern Munich. They’re 2-1 up.
Nunes appeals for a penalty after his attempted cross from the left flies off Vitik’s elbow and out of play. That would have been harsh. The subsequent corner is punched away by Vindahl Jensen, as far as Savinho. He quickly supplies Foden on the edge of the box, but his powerful left-footed curler flies a few yards wide of the target. The 24-year-old has been the principal danger man.
08:39 PM BST
39 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Rico Lewis and Savinho link up on the right, and the Brazilian dances past a couple of defenders into the box before scuffing a shot wide. He made the hard part look easy then fluffed his lines.
Manchester City coming close to a welcome second to give them a comfortable cushion before the break. They’ve not been particularly clinical so far.
08:37 PM BST
36 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Phil Foden rifles in a shot from the edge of the box on his left foot. Sparta goalkeeper Peter Vindahl Jensen watches it all the way, parrying the ball away. The ball moved a little and no doubt stung his gloves.
That’s what the England international can do, shift from second gear to fifth in an instant (I don’t recommend doing that in a car) and nearly double the lead.
08:36 PM BST
34 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Rynes looks to make inroads into the home team’s half, but Rico Lewis shows strength and timing to nick the ball off him. Manchester City head forward, looking for a perfect pass to break down their opponents, who have all eleven men behind the ball again.
Savinho plays to Foden, but his pass is loose and Sparta regain possession and break. Rynes is furious with himself after tonking it upfield in search of Olatunji and only finding Ortega.
08:32 PM BST
Nunes nifty down the left
08:30 PM BST
29 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Preciado shows his speed again, leaving Ake for dead down the right to deliver a cross at the byline. Haraslin goes for an ill-judged spectacular finish on the edge of the box, an overhead scorpion kick type affair and the ball flies high and wide, harmlessly.
Sparta Prague are showing a bit more aggression and verve. Just having a minute or two in City’s half makes it their best spell of the game.
08:28 PM BST
27 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Chances at both ends. Erling Haaland gets up high at the back post, heads it down across the goalkeeper goal-bound, but it’s hammered away by a watchful defender. With men committed from the home side, Sparta get up the other end.
Birmancevic breaks free down the right at lightning speed. He has a lot to do, but his shot is in target, forcing a finger-tip save from Ortega, down to his right. Out of nowhere, an adrenaline rush for Pep Guardiola. The corner is easily cleared.
08:25 PM BST
24 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
News from Catalonia: Harry Kane has equalised in the blockbuster clash between Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Rapinha put the Spanish side up in the very first minute.
A Gundogan corner from the left finds Haaland six yards out from the back post, but he can’t get purchase on a header and fails to connect with the falling ball as he tumbles backwards.
08:22 PM BST
21 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Sparta Prague have eleven men behind the ball, as Nunes and then Ake clip in balls from the left, trying to find an opening.
The home side work the ball around, as is their wont. Savinho then plays Lewis in on the right wing, but Haaland cannot get a good connection on the header as Panak does a sterling job defensively. It feels like another Manchester City goal is inevitable.
08:20 PM BST
18 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
After winning the ball back, Preciado shows his pace, bursting out of midfield and into Manchester City’s half, past Akanji. His speculative lob from 35 yards out, spying Ortega a few yards off his line, is well over.
Down the other end, Foden lays it off for Haaland, whose shot from the edge of the six-yard box cannons into the face of a Sparta defender. The Czech side scramble it away.
08:15 PM BST
A chance for Foden to get his season going
Manchester City appear to have lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with, interestingly. Phil Foden on the right of midfield. It feels like a big night for the England international – and what do you know, he has just scored within three minutes.
His season has not really got going – as yet – but maybe a Champions League tie against minnows such as Sparta Prague may just give the 24-year-old the kickstart he needs to his confidence. It also feels that this role, rather than further forward, may be where his future lies. It was always Pep Guardiola’s intention to eventually play him in midfield as the heir to David Silva or Kevin de Bruyne.
08:14 PM BST
13 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Manchester City have been camped out on the left flank, with Nunes having a lot of love. Now, they move it right, with Stones setting Savinho free to run at his man down the right. Sorensen scrambles to put the ball out for a throw-in near the corner flag. A busy night ahead for him.
Bespectacled blonde Sparta manager Lars Friis – formerly a Brentford development coach – is a dead ringer for British comedian and football lover Rob Beckett. He might not be laughing so much when the 90 minutes are up.
08:11 PM BST
10 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
“He knows how to wait,” says TNT Sports pundit Glenn Hoddle of Erling Haaland. They don’t reckon he has touched the ball yet.
Then he comes oh so close to scoring, popping up with a header after byline fast feet and trickery from Nunes. What a save from the Sparta goalkeeper, throwing himself to his right to put it out for a corner.
08:08 PM BST
6 mins: Manchester City 1 Sparta Prague 0
Man City work the ball around nicely, and Gundogan’s shot from the edge of the box is blocked. If Sparta don’t tighten up defensively, there could be trouble. John Stones then picks up a needless early yellow card, taking out Haraslin near the halfway line with no trouble brewing.
08:05 PM BST
GOAL! Foden with the opener
Sparta Prague give the ball away after dispossessing Phil Foden on the edge of the box, and they have to do it all again. And they will rue that.
He was played in on the left side of the box, ghosted past Kairinen and guided it past Vindahl-Jensen with his left foot from 15 yards out. One shot, one goal. An ideal start for Manchester City.
08:01 PM BST
Kick off!
Sparta Prague get the game underway, playing in all black with white socks. Manchester City are in their recognisable home strip, blue with white shorts.
07:59 PM BST
A hallowed pre-match song
That Champions League anthem, based on Handel’s Zadok the Priest, takes some beating. Guaranteed to give goosebumps to fans and players alike.
07:56 PM BST
The players head out onto the pitch
As the teams walk out of the tunnel, it’s all over in Bergamo. Celtic have gutted out a point away to Atlanta, under fire for much of the match. They rode their luck a little, but that’s a valuable point. Read all about it here.
07:52 PM BST
Pep Guardiola talks to TNT Sports pre-match
On injuries to Doku and Grealish:
“Doku [is out] a little bit longer than Jack. Hopefully Jack [for] one week, 10 days, Jeremy a little bit longer.”
On their opponents:
“The important thing is that after 95 minutes is being better than the opponent and win the game … they are so aggressive, courage[ous]. Sparta were able to draw in Germany, they are high-pressing, intense, they have really good patterns, wingers, pace up front. It’s a really good team, otherwise they wouldn’t have four points.”
07:45 PM BST
The century is up for Ilkay Gundogan
07:41 PM BST
Free-scoring Sparta’s threats
Sparta are well-drilled at set-pieces and frustrated Stuttgart in their most recent Champions League, defending physically and dropping deep. Winger Lukas Haraslin is their top scorer in the Czech league with four, Kaan Kairinen has scored in both their previous league phase games and tall Nigerian forward Victor Olatunji is in flying form.
They may well have scored in all 19 competitive fixtures this season, but this is the ultimate step-up. They will do well to keep this run going in Manchester.
07:31 PM BST
Fans are filling up the Etihad Stadium
07:27 PM BST
Sparta Prague sporting director Rosicky rings a few bells
Dane Lars Friis has been managing Sparta since June, but their sporting director Tomas Rosicky will be a lot more recognisable to British fans.
Interviewed on TNT Sports, the silky ex-Arsenal midfielder said : “It’s a great confrontation against an absolute top team. Being back in the Champions League is a big thing for us. Against a top team like Liverpool, they absolutely destroyed us [last year in the Europa League] so I’m curious how the boys will react to another absolute top team and if we took lessons from last year.”
07:21 PM BST
Full team news
In all, Pep Guardiola has made five changes to the line-up which got the better of Wolves at the weekend. Stefan Ortega replaces Ederson in goal, with Ake and Akanji coming into the line-up ahead of him.
Nunes and Foden also slot in. Only seven substitutes for Man City, and two of them are goalkeepers. A calculated choice from Pep Guardiola, but precious few options in the unlikely event they find themselves struggling.
Manchester City: Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Ake; Gundogan, Bernardo, Nunes, Savinho, Foden, Haaland
Substitutes: Ederson, Carson, Dias, Kovacic, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, McAtee
Sparta Prague: Vindahl-Jensen; Vitik, Panak, Sorensen, Preciado, Laci, Kairinen, Rynes, Birmancevic, Olatunji, Haraslin.
Substitutes: Vorel, Surovcik, Suchomel, Solbakken, Ross Jensen, Pavelka, Rrahmani, Danek, Sadilek, Pesek, Wiesner, Krasniqi
07:12 PM BST
Sparta Prague’s XI
1️⃣1️⃣ SESTAVA | Na Etihad Stadium vyběhne od první minuty následující jedenáctka 👥
V kádru ze zdravotních důvodů chybí Indrit Tuci, Elias Cobbaut a Jaroslav Zelený 🤕 #acsparta pic.twitter.com/dbg6r6oXtW
— AC Sparta Praha (@ACSparta_CZ) October 23, 2024
07:07 PM BST
Nathan Ake back, Stefan Ortega starts in goal
Having missed seven games with a muscle injury, Nathan Ake makes his first start of the season, with goal-happy Gvardiol warming the bench. Stefan Ortega is between the sticks; he also started against Slovan Bratislava, having a quiet night.
No Jack Grealish even on the bench, as in-form Savinho gets the call, while Matheus Nunes moves into the line-up.
07:00 PM BST
Manchester City line-up is in
Your City side to face Sparta Prague! 🩵
XI | Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Ake, Gundogan, Bernardo (C), Nunes, Savinho, Foden, Haaland
SUBS | Ederson, Carson, Dias, Kovacic, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, McAtee#ManCity | #UCL pic.twitter.com/OfR4pH9aiC
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 23, 2024
06:55 PM BST
No time for slip-ups against Czech champions
Good evening and welcome to our live coverage from the Champions League as Manchester City face Sparta Prague at the Etihad Stadium.
They drew their opener at home to Inter Milan, unable to muster a goal, but got back on track three weeks ago, winning 4-0 against Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia.
Another three points here and they ought to be up into the top four of the league phase in this new-fangled, 36-team competition. No time for slip-ups.
“It is not easy,” manager Pep Guardiola said in his pre-match press conferences. “The games we have at home we have to close it, otherwise it’ll be difficult to finish in the first eight and that’s the target we want to achieve.”
Sparta Prague are no pushovers though; they’ve got the same number of points – four – as their opponents after drawing 1-1 at Stuttgart (who got the better of Juventus last night, one of the surprises of last night’s matches) and seeing off RB Salzburg 3-0. This is their first time in the Champions League for 19 years.
They got through to the round of 16 in last year’s Europa League, though they went out with an 11-2 aggregate shellacking against Liverpool, showing the gulf in class.
The two sides have never faced one another before and are both positioned second in their respective domestic leagues, with the Czech side lagging behind city rivals Slavia Prague.
The 2023 European champions are currently on a 31-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League; it’ll take something special from the visitors to get the better of them tonight. The home side will want to get the job done far, far sooner than they did at the weekend, mind, with that controversial, last-gasp goal from John Stones giving them a 2-1 win against Wolves.
Team news to come very soon. The match kicks off at 8pm BST.
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