Having responded strongly to an opening setback in Group F and sealed qualification with a game to spare, Manchester City are looking to wrap up first place in the section as they conclude their campaign at home against Hoffenheim, the visitors now setting their sights on the UEFA Europa League as their first UEFA Champions League group campaign draws to a close.
• City booked their place in the round of 16 with a 2-2 draw at Lyon last time out, and hold a three-point lead over the French club at the top of the standings. The English champions will therefore clinch first place if they avoid defeat, or if Lyon do not win at Shakhtar Donetsk.
• Hoffenheim are on three points – all from draws – two behind third-placed Shakhtar. Out of contention for a top-two finish, they must win and hope Shakhtar lose in order to earn a UEFA Europa League place.
• The English side came from behind to win in Germany on matchday two in what was Hoffenheim’s first home group game in the UEFA Champions League. Ishak Belfodil gave the hosts a dream start with a first-minute goal, but Sergio Agüero levelled seven minutes later before David Silva struck an 87th-minute winner.
Form guide
Manchester City
• City opened with an unexpected 2-1 loss at home to Lyon – their third successive European defeat in Manchester, all by a 2-1 scoreline – but bounced back with the win at Hoffenheim. Shakhtar were beaten 3-0 away and 6-0 at home – the Manchester club’s biggest win in UEFA club competition – before progress was assured with the draw in Lyon.
• City have won only four of their last ten European matches, home and away – losing five.
• Josep Guardiola’s side finished 19 points clear in the English Premier League last season, picking up a record 100 points – although there was frustration as their European campaign ended against familiar opponents, domestic rivals Liverpool running out 5-1 aggregate winners in the quarter-final.
• City won all three home games in last season’s group stage. They had won seven of their previous eight home European matches, including four in a row, before losing to Basel in the round of 16 second leg; they then went down to Liverpool in the quarter-finals and Lyon on matchday one.
• City’s best performance was reaching the 2015/16 semi-finals; this is their eighth consecutive appearance in the group stage and sixth successive qualification for the knockout phase.
• The Citizens have won six of their nine home games against German clubs (D2 L1), scoring 11 goals in their last three such matches – all victories.
Hoffenheim
• After drawing 2-2 at Shakhtar on their group debut and losing 2-1 at home to City, Hoffenheim then drew home (3-3) and away (2-2) against Lyon, scoring a late equaliser in both games. They were undone by an added-time Shakhtar goal on matchday five, however, losing 3-2 to end their hopes of progress.
• Third in last season’s Bundesliga – their highest ever finish – Hoffenheim made their European bow against eventual runners-up Liverpool in last season’s UEFA Champions League play-offs (1-2 home, 2-4 away). That was their first and only experience of English opposition before matchday two.
• They went on to pick up five points in the UEFA Europa League group stage, finishing fourth in a section that also included Braga, Ludogorets and İstanbul Başakşehir.
• Die Kraichgauer have won only one of their 13 European matches, home and away. Both they and their opponents have scored at least once in all of those games. Having lost the first four, the matchday five loss against Shakhtar was only the third time they have been beaten in the last nine.
• Hoffenheim have yet to win away from home in Europe (D3 L3).
• Hoffenheim are the 13th German club to feature in the UEFA Champions League – a joint competition record with Spain. They are one of three newcomers to the UEFA Champions League group stage this season, alongside Crvena zvezda and Young Boys. All three will exit the competition after matchday six.
• Aged 31 years 58 days, Julian Nagelsmann became the youngest coach in UEFA Champions League history on matchday one, replacing Viktor Goncharenko, who was 31 years 99 days when BATE took on Real Madrid on matchday one in 2008/09.
Links and trivia
• Guardiola was Bayern München coach between 2013 and 2016, overseeing five wins and a draw against Hoffenheim.
• Have played in Germany:
Leroy Sané (Schalke 2013–16)
Kevin De Bruyne (Werder Bremen 2012/13, Wolfsburg 2014–16)
İlkay Gündoğan (Bochum 2008, Nürnberg 2009–11, Borussia Dortmund 2011–16)
Vincent Kompany (Hamburg 2006–08)
• Gündoğan scored the only goal as Dortmund beat Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga in December 2014.
• Have played in England:
Andrej Kramarić (Leicester 2015–16)
Håvard Nordtveit (Arsenal 2007–10, West Ham 2016/17)
Reiss Nelson (Arsenal 2017–18)
• Have played together:
Riyad Mahrez & Andrej Kramarić (Leicester 2015–16)
Leroy Sané & Ádám Szalai (Schalke 2013/14)
İlkay Gündoğan & Leonardo Bittencourt (Dortmund 2012/13)
• International team-mates:
İlkay Gündoğan, Leroy Sané & Nico Schulz (Germany)
Phil Foden & Reiss Nelson (England Under-21s)
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