Manchester City host Napoli in the UEFA Champions League on Thursday night, and they will look to pick up a comfortable victory at home.

They are up against the Italian champions, and they will need to produce a strong performance in order to get the job done. Manchester City are coming into this game on the back of an impressive victory over Manchester United in the Manchester Derby. However, they had lost three of their last four matches prior to that. They cannot afford to underestimate the opposition, and they will need to raise their performance level here.

On the other hand, Napoli are on a three-match winning run, and they will certainly fancy their chances against a vulnerable Manchester City side. It will be interesting to see if they can produce a strong performance. Antonio Conte is a world-class manager who knows how to grind out important results. He will certainly look to set up his side in a way so that they can exploit Manchester City’s vulnerabilities.

Team news and tactics

Manchester City

The home team will be without Mateo Kovacic, Omar Marmoush, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rayan Cherki due to injuries.

They are likely to shape up in a 4-1-4-1 formation with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. Abdukodir Khusanov and Rico Lewis are set to start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and contribute in the attack.

Rúben Dias will start in central defence alongside Joško Gvardiol.

Rodri will start as the defensive midfielder here. He will look to break up the opposition’s attacking moves and protect the back four.

Nico González will start in the advanced midfield role alongside Phil Foden. The two players will look to add control and creativity to the side.

Savinho and Oscar Bobb will start on the flanks, and they will look to add unpredictability and cutting edge in the final third. Erling Haaland will lead the line for Manchester City.

Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis; Rodri; Savinho, González, Foden, Bobb; Haaland

Napoli

Romelu Lukaku, Nikita Contini and Amir Rrahmani are ruled out for the Italian champions.

They are likely to shape up in a 4-1-4-1 formation as well, with Vanja Milinković-Savić in goal.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Leonardo Spinazzola will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight defensively and hit Manchester City on the break. Sam Beukema will start alongside Alessandro Buongiorno in central defence.

In the defensive midfield role, Stanislav Lobotka will add defensive cover and physicality, while Frank Anguissa will add drive and physicality to the side from the middle of the park, and Kevin De Bruyne will add creativity and cutting edge against his former team.

Matteo Politano and Scott McTominay will be deployed on the flanks. They will help out defensively and contribute in the attack.

Rasmus Højlund will lead the line for Napoli here.

Napoli (4-1-4-1): Milinković-Savić; Di Lorenzo, Beukema, Buongiorno, Spinazzola; Lobotka; Politano, Frank Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Højlund

Key Stats

• 14 goals have been scored in the last four matches between these two teams.
• Manchester City are unbeaten in three of the last four matches against Napoli.
• Manchester City have lost three of the last five matches in all competitions.
• Napoli have won the last three matches in all competitions.

Player to watch out for

Kevin De Bruyne

The Belgian international midfielder is our key player to watch out for. He is a world-class player, and he could make a huge difference for Napoli in the final third. He will know how to exploit the vulnerability of his former side, and it remains to be seen whether he can make a defining impact against Manchester City.

The Premier League side will need to keep him quiet if they want to pick up a comfortable victory here. Napoli will need him to step up and produce in the final third if they want to break down the Manchester City defence and create opportunities here. It will be interesting to see if he can deliver for his team.

Prediction

Manchester City 1-1 Napoli

Both teams are packed with quality, and this is likely to be a close contest. Despite the injury problems, they have enough depth in the side to produce a strong performance here. It will be difficult to separate the two teams, and they could end up cancelling each other out. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, but they are likely to share the spoils in a draw.