Manchester City travel to Slovakia on Tuesday night to play Slovan Bratislava in the second match of their 2024/25 Champions League campaign.
Pep Guardiola’s side sit second in the Premier League after a somewhat disappointing draw against Newcastle last weekend, and they’re looking for their first three points of the new European campaign this week after drawing 0-0 at home to Inter Milan last time out.
The Cityzens have lost Rodri for the remainder of the season and will be without Kevin De Bruyne in the Slovak capital, though they come up against a Slovan Bratislava side that lost 5-1 to Celtic in their European opener on 18 September.
Follow all the latest Champions League updates with our live blog below:
Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City LIVE
Man City face Slovan Bratislava in their second Champions League match, with kick-off at 8pm BST | Live on TNT Sports
The Cityzens arrive in Bratislava off the back of a tough 1-1 draw to Newcastle United
Slovan lost 5-1 to Celtic in their Champions League league phase opener a fortnight ago
Man City XI: Ortega, Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol, Gundogan, Nunes, Savinho, Foden, Doku, Haaland.
Slovan Bratislava XI: Takac, Blackman, Kashia, Bajric, Wimmer, Savvidis, Ignatenko, Barseghyan, Tolic, Weiss, Strelec.
GOAL! Gundogan scores! – SLB 0-1 MCI [8’]
GOAL! Foden doubles the lead! – SLB 0-2 MCI [15’]
ŠK Slovan Bratislava 0 – 2 Manchester City FC
Slovan Bratislava 0-2 Man City
20:40 , Sonia Twigg
40 minutes: Foden fires another volley wide after the goalkeeper stuck his leg out to deny a Savinho ball across the box.
Gundogan hits the woodwork for a third time! The goalkeeper was just watching the ball but it hit the woodwork between the post and crossbar.
Slovan Bratislava 0-2 Man City
20:38 , Sonia Twigg
38 minutes: Foden has had another shot but drags it wide, Slovan then had a chance to try and build possession and ended up with a free kick in the City half which will relieve some pressure, even though it doesn’t beat the first man.
Slovan Bratislava 0-2 Man City
20:35 , Sonia Twigg
35 minutes: After 34 minutes of play, Slovan have completed less than 50 passes, while City are nearing 250.
That sums up the discrepancy between the sides in this Champions League clash.
Slovan Bratislava 0-2 Man City
20:33 , Sonia Twigg
32 minutes: But after committing, Slovan are almost hit on the break, Doku sprints forward and puts the ball across the box, but it’s just behind Erling Haaland and he cannot capitalise.
Slovan Bratislava 0-2 Man City
20:32 , Sonia Twigg
30 minutes: It is starting to feel like a case of when rather than if City will add another. The crowd have kept going inspired by the person on the mike.
Slovan get forward, but the ball doesn’t fall in the box for them to create anything.
Slovan Bratislava 0-2 Man City
20:27 , Sonia Twigg
26 minutes: POST! Foden tried his luck from distance, the goalkeeper can only parry it onto the post and hope it bounced favourably which it did.
City have a strong lead and they could easily have more!
Slovan Bratislava 0-2 Man City
20:24 , Sonia Twigg
23 minutes: Post! Doku has hit the woodwork! Another chance for City, and they’re already comfortably ahead.
Slovan Bratislava 0-2 Man City
20:21 , Sonia Twigg
20 minutes: Slovan are just camped outside their box and cannot get clear, it’s going to be a long night for them if this continues.
The crowd have not stopped though.
Slovan Bratislava 0-2 Man City
20:17 , Sonia Twigg
17 minutes: Haaland should have made it three! He had a great chance to put the ball into the back of the net, but it was too close to the goalkeeper who was able to make the save.
GOAL! Phil Foden scores! Slovan Bratislava 0-2 Man City
20:16 , Sonia Twigg
15 minutes: GOAL! Phil Foden doubles City’s lead! It was a perfect strike in his first start this season, expertly curled into the corner.
Slovan Bratislava 0-1 Man City
20:14 , Sonia Twigg
12 minutes: As expected, City have dominated the possession and given the heavy beating at the hands of Celtic, Slovan might just have to weather the storm for as long as they can.
GOAL! Gundogan scores for City! Slovan Bratislava 0-1 Man City
20:09 , Sonia Twigg
8 minutes: GOAL! City have broken the deadlock, Gundogan scores his first goal since coming back to City, it’s deflected into the back of the net giving the goalkeeper no chance
Slovan Bratislava 0-0 Man City
20:04 , Sonia Twigg
4 minutes: Haaland drives on the edge of the box and pulls the ball back in the direction of Phil Foden, but the ball is behind hi and the home side are able to clear.
Slovan Bratislava 0-0 Man City
20:03 , Sonia Twigg
2 minutes: Chance! Slovan Bratislava have had an early chance! They break on the counter attack and the shot is just wide of the goal!
Slovan Bratislava 0-0 Man City
20:01 , Sonia Twigg
1 minute: Man City kick the game underway
Slovan Bratislava v Man City
19:58 , Sonia Twigg
The teams are out, the Champions League anthem is being played, and the match is about to get underway.
Slovan Bratislava v Man City
19:55 , Sonia Twigg
Instead of drums, Slovan Bratislava have a female violinist and another woman playing the electric guitar, they are getting the fans well and truly up for this one.
Slovan Bratislava coach on facing Man City
19:50 , Mike Jones
Vladimír Weiss Sr said: “We will welcome one of the best teams in the world. They won the Champions League a year ago.
“Our opponents are the favourites not only for this match, but for the whole competition. We have to enjoy it. I believe that with the fans behind us we can reach our limits.”
City head to Slovakia
19:44 , Mike Jones
Manchester City will take on Champions League debutants Slovan Bratislava on a run of only one win in four games and trying to adjust to the loss of lynchpin Rodri.
Pep Guardiola changed shape away to Newcastle at the weekend with Mateo Kovacic and Rico Lewis sitting in front of the defence, but they were far from their fluid best in a 1-1 draw and further refinements are clearly needed.
City are clear favourites in Bratislava, where avoiding defeat will see them match Manchester United’s record of 25 games unbeaten in this competition.
Man City’s Champions League successes
19:37 , Mike Jones
This is Man City’s 14th successive season in the Champions League. They have featured in every campaign since 2011/12 and have reached the knockout stages in each of the last 11.
Having claimed the club’s first Champions League title in 2022/23, Pep Guardiola’s side won all six group games for the first time last season to finish six points clear of RB Leipzig in the standings.
That was the seventh successive season in which City had come first in their group.
City then beat Copenhagen in the round of 16 but lost an epic quarter-final against eventual champions Real Madrid – the third season in a row in which they had faced the Spanish side.
Slovan Bratislava vs Man City
19:30 , Mike Jones
Slovan have won all four home European matches this season – scoring 14 goals – as many victories as in their previous 13 games (six draws, three defeats).
Weiss Jr on his time at Man City
19:22 , Mike Jones
“I have the best memories of my time at City,” said Slovan Bratislava’s captain when reminiscing about the start to his professional career.
“It was an amazing achievement to break through to the first team at a young age with the players that were already in the squad. With time, there were better and better players and with Mancini coming in, my chances were getting smaller.
“I am always going to watch City, not just because they’re my first club but because they play the best football in the world for me. To watch City for me is a pleasure. I’m following the club and it’s a club that’s always going to stay in my heart.”
A City homecoming for Weiss
19:15 , Mike Jones
Vladimir Weiss Jr moved to Manchester as a teenager and came through the City Academy. He scored in the 2008 FA Youth Cup final as City’s youth side defeated Chelsea to lift the trophy.
Weiss then played five times for the senior team before joining Bolton Wanderers, Rangers and Espanyol on loan before eventually moving to Pescara on a permanent deal in 2012.
Now, he captains Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League and the former City winger will look to get one over on his old club.
Arsenal and Man City’s heated rivalry has just reached a new level of tension
19:07 , Chris Wilson
Mikel Arteta eventually felt he had to speak, specifically in order to quieten things down. You couldn’t have a clearer indication of how the Manchester City–Arsenal tensions had reached a peak, after all, than Pep Guardiola himself willingly bringing up the “115 charges”. Some City officials had previously bristled at the media or anyone else mentioning the prospect of the club being punished, and yet here was their most important football figure putting it front and centre of the week’s biggest story.
That showed how affected Guardiola had been by Arteta’s admittedly open-ended comments from Tuesday. The Arsenal manager had spoken about how he has “all the information” on City, having worked at the club for almost four years. Arteta was actually talking about gamesmanship, given all the criticism of his own team over “dark arts”, but the way it was said could have easily been portrayed as talking about the hearing. Guardiola evidently felt that way.
This was also why Arteta took the opportunity to indeed make clear what he meant, and cool those tensions a bit.
Arsenal and Man City’s heated rivalry has just reached a new level of tension
Vladimir Weiss on Pep Guardiola
19:00 , Mike Jones
The Slovan Bratislava manager spoke with praise about his opposit number tonight: “I like many coaches – Ancelotti, Klopp, Bielsa – but Guardiola is unique.
“He had changed football. Every player in the team plays in his position and all of them know what their job is on the pitch. This approach makes him a special and outstanding coach.”
Slovan Bratislava team news
18:57 , Sonia Twigg
Slovan Bratislava XI: Takac, Blackman, Kashia, Bajric, Wimmer, Savvidis, Ignatenko, Barseghyan, Tolic, Weiss, Strelec.
Subs: Trnovsky, Hrdina, Voet, Medvedev, Marcelli, Mustafic, Mak, Zuberu, Pauschek, Gajdos, Szoke, Metsoko.
Manchester City team news
18:50 , Sonia Twigg
Pep Guardiola makes six changes for his side’s match against Slovan Bratislava, with Ortega, Stones, Nunes, Savinho, Foden and Doku all coming into the side.
Man City XI: Ortega, Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol, Gundogan, Nunes, Savinho, Foden, Doku, Haaland.
Subs: Ederson, Carson, Walker, Dias, Kovacic, Grealish, Silva, McAtee.
The problem facing Man City stretches beyond Rodri’s injury absence
18:38 , Chris Wilson
Manchester City began without one of the outstanding individuals of last season. No, not that one. Or not just that one, anyway. Rodri was the most conspicuous absentee at St James’ Park on Saturday as, barring an injury to Erling Haaland, he will be for the rest of the campaign. But Phil Fodenstarted on the bench. His bit-part role has been camouflaged by the sudden realisation that Rodri will have no part to play in the next nine months, but it is less than six weeks since Foden was anointed PFA Player of the Year.
It is an understatement to say his candidature for a second successive award has had a slow start. City have played six league games this season. Foden has begun none. Euro 2024 was why he was an opening-day replacement against Chelsea. He missed two matches through illness, spent the next as an unused substitute and came on in the last two. Perhaps it is a fact that points to potential improvement for City: Foden, scorer of 27 goals last time around, could provide an injection of excellence for a Rodri-less side.
The problem facing Man City stretches beyond Rodri’s injury absence
Man City prepare to face Slovan Bratislava
18:30 , Mike Jones
The training sessions are done and dusted ahead of kick off at 8pm tonight.
Stones on Rodri’s recovery
18:22 , Mike Jones
“[Rodrigo’s injury] was difficult news for us all to take. I spoke to Rodri yesterday and he’s doing well, recovering,” Stones said, “It’s sad for the standard he has set over the last season has been incredible.
“We know what a key player he is for us, but we want him to be back quickly. We know it will be a long time, but we have a lot of quality players capable of filling in in that position.
“He was in good spirits. Now he knows what’s happened and knows his process to get back, he’s come to terms with it. He is over in Spain with his family. He needs to take time now to relax and recover as best he can.”
Stones ready to ‘fullfil’ Rodri role
18:15 , Mike Jones
Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri will miss the rest of the campaign after having to undergo surgery in the wake of an ACL injury sustained in last week’s Premier League clash with Arsenal.
City teammate John Stones says he is ‘100 per cent’ ready to fill the midfield void left by Rodri’s absence if called on by Pep Guardiola.
He said: “If called upon 100%. It happened a lot over the past two years, me going into midfield. It was difficult in the 2023 Champions League final as I was higher up, which was new for me [but] I enjoyed it.
“Whatever position I am asked to play, or whoever plays midfield, has played there before and knows what’s asked of them by the manager.
“And hopefully we can recreate even better moments than the Champions League final.”
Kovacic, Lewis, Stones? How Manchester City replace injured Rodri
18:08 , Chris Wilson
Manchester City appear to have suffered a major blow with Rodri set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury against Arsenal.
The midfielder was substituted in the first half of the clash of Premier League rivals at the Etihad Stadium, with the club confirming that he has suffered ligament damage.
It is an injury that may render the 28-year-old unavailable for the rest of the campaign, leaving Pep Guardiola without his key midfield fulcrum.
While the Manchester City manager often rotates elsewhere, Rodri is firmly established as a vital figure at the base of midfield and rarely misses the club’s biggest games.
But an expensively-assembled squad does provide Guardiola with a number of alternative options as he looks to replace the Spaniard:
Kovacic, Lewis, Stones? How Manchester City replace injured Rodri
Slovan versus English teams
18:00 , Mike Jones
Slovan Bratislava won two of their first three games against English clubs with both home first legs – 2-0 against Tottenham in the 1962/63 European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final and 1-0 against Derby in the 1975/76 European Cup first round.
They went on to lose those ties 2-6 and 1-3 on aggregate and have since lost seven of their subsequent nine matches against English opposition, drawing twice.
The last outing against an English team came in the 2019/20 Europa League where Slovan lost 1-2 at home and 0-1 away against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the group stage, making it five successive defeats by English teams.
Slovan play with ‘courage’ says Guardiola
17:52 , Mike Jones
Pep Guardiola is anticipating a tough test for his players this evening when they take on Slovan Bratislava and explained how watching their match against Celtic showed him that City’s opponents play with courage.
“This is a team that I would say plays with courage,” he said, “I saw the game against Glasgow Celtic and they were not scared to play.
“Not scared to link with their striker and they want to try it. The Champions League it doesn’t matter, I always have incredible respect for all the teams, especially when you play away.
“Hopefully we can be an aggressive team again and take a result.”
Guardiola provides De Bruyne update
17:45 , Mike Jones
Pep Guardiola says that he is hoping Kevin De Bruyne will be back in contention for selection after the October international break.
The midfielder was forced off during City’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan earlier this month and missed their next three matches with a thigh issue.
“Hopefully after the international break he [Kevin] will be back,” Guardiola said, “Everybody is ready – we will put out the best team possible to compete and beat them.”
Rodri ruled out for rest of season after Man City star undergoes surgery
17:37 , Chris Wilson
Rodri has been ruled out for the remainder of the season by Pep Guardiola after the Manchester City confirmed the Spanish midfielder has successfully undergone surgery.
Rodri suffered ACL and meniscus damage to his knee in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
“He had surgery this morning,” Guardiola said. “ACL and some meniscus. So, next season he will be here. This season is over [for him].”
Rodri ruled out for rest of season after Man City star undergoes surgery
Slovan Bratislava vs Man City prediction
17:30 , Chris Wilson
Man City should easily be able to make it a first win in Europe this term, even with rotations in the squad and probably the starting 11. They should also triumph in style and comfort.
Slovan 0-4 Man City.
Slovan Bratislava vs Man City predicted line-ups and latest odds
17:22 , Chris Wilson
Here’s how we think the two teams will line up against each other this evening though there is always the possibility that Pep Guardiola springs a surprise with the players at his disposal:
Slovan Bratislava XI: Takac, Blackman, Kashia, Wimmer, Medvedev, Kucka, Ignatenko, Barseghyan, Tolic, Weiss, Strelec
Man City XI: Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Nunes, Kovacic, Savinho, Foden, Grealish, Haaland
As for the latest odds from the bookmakers, it should come as no surprise that City are the overwhelming favourites to win this one despite playing away from home:
Slovan 50/1
Draw 17/1
City 1/25
What is the early team news?
17:15 , Chris Wilson
Rodri is Man City’s main injury concern with the midfielder out for the long term. Oscar Bobb and Nathan Ake are also sidelined, but City will hope Kevin de Bruyne is back to full fitness to play some part at least.
Lukas Pauschek is out for Slovan, while Kenan Bajric is a doubt. Their attacking line should include former Man City starlet Vladimir Weiss, now aged 34, and one of Slovakia’s starting forwards from their Euro 2024 last-16 clash with England, in David Strelec.
When is Slovan Bratislava vs Man City?
17:07 , Chris Wilson
The match kicks off at 8pm BST on Tuesday 1 October.
Most Champions League games are shown on TNT Sports in the UK. This game is on TNT Sports 1 and can be streamed for subscribers on the discovery+ app.
You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.
Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City
17:00 , Chris Wilson
Manchester City will be looking for their first win in the new Champions League format when they head to Slovakia on Tuesday, to take on Slovan Bratislava.
Pep Guardiola’s side are on an unusual run of just one win in four games across all competitions, though the others were all draws and they have faced Arsenal and Inter Milan in that run. Even so, failing to beat Newcastle last time out will have irked the reigning Premier League champions, as they lost top spot to Liverpool in the process and have now kept just one clean sheet in their last seven games.
Slovan Bratislava have won seven out of eight domestically and sit top of the Super Liga as a result, but were absolutely hammered by Celtic in their Champions League opener, losing 5-1 in Glasgow.
That result raised questions of competitiveness in this expanded league format, and even on home soil they must be fearing the type of scoreline an in-form Erling Haaland might be able to raise.
Good evening!
14:15 , Mike Jones
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Champions League action as Manchester City travel to Slovakia to face Slovan Bratislava in their second league phase fixture.
City’s opening Champions League match ended in a 0-0 draw with Inter Milan and Pep Guardiola’s team head into this match in need of a win. They also drew 1-1 with Newcastle in their latest Premier League outing having also failed to beat a 10-man Arsenal team just before.
Slova Bratislava are perhaps the perfect team for City to face. They lost their first Champions League match 5-1 to Celtic and with City’s added firepower it could be another difficult night for the Slovakian side.
We’ll have all the team news, line-ups and updates throughout the evening so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 8pm.
