#MCIB04 – Match facts
City have played the most passes and boast the best completion rate in the Champions League this term, but Bayer 04 don’t need to hide, given they have Garcia at the heart of their team. The Spanish midfielder leads the competition’s standings for successful switches of play and ranks third for completed line-breaking passes. Garcia spent part of his early career at City, being on the books from 2015 to 2020, with several loan spells away.
Now with Bayer 04, this fixture against his former club – who have lost just one of their last 24 matches against German opposition – is the first time Leverkusen and City will meet in a competitive fixture.
Focus on City
Although Pep Guardiola’s side were beaten 2-1 away at Newcastle United at the weekend, they are yet to taste defeat in the Champions League this season, having beaten Napoli (2-0), Villarreal (2-0) and Borussia Dortmund (4-1), plus a 2-2 draw against Monaco. It leaves them fourth in the league phase at the halfway stage. It’s predominantly their forward players of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders, Savinho, Jeremy Doku and obviously Erling Haaland, who are all in excellent form, that has got them where they are. You can find out more about Man City in our opposition profile.
1,500 travelling fans
Around 1,500 supporters have made the trip from Leverkusen to England to get behind the team at the City of Manchester Stadium.
Pinheiro in charge
UEFA have appointed Joao Pinheiro of Portugal to oversee this game – his first involving Bayer 04, although he has also taken charge of matches involving fellow German clubs Bayern Munich, Freiburg, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt. His assistants are compatriots Bruno Alves Jesus and Luciano Antonio Gomes Maia. Fellow Portuguese Tiago Martins is the VAR.
