Champions League play-offs: Will Khusanov start for Man City?

The second leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs will take place in Madrid on the night of February 20, as Real Madrid hosts Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabéu.

First-Leg Recap

In the first leg in Manchester, Real Madrid secured a dramatic 3-2 victory. Erling Haaland opened the scoring for City, but Kylian Mbappé equalized in the 60th minute. Haaland restored City’s lead in the 80th minute, but substitute Brahim Díaz leveled the score again. In the dying moments of added time, Jude Bellingham struck the decisive goal to give Madrid a crucial away win.

Following the result, Madrid's chances of progressing to the next round have significantly increased. Even Manchester City’s coach, Pep Guardiola, admitted that his team’s chances of advancing were just 1%. However, Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti cautioned his players against overconfidence, acknowledging the tough challenge ahead.

Will Khusanov Start for City?

Manchester City faces key defensive absences ahead of the crucial clash. Swiss defender Manuel Akanji has suffered an unexpected injury, leaving Guardiola with limited options at center-back. As a result, Uzbek defender Abdukodir Khusanov is emerging as a strong candidate to replace him in the starting lineup. Husanov previously impressed in the Premier League against Newcastle and could now be handed his Champions League debut.

There is also speculation that Guardiola might deploy Khusanov at right-back, a position he is still evaluating for the young defender.

Predicted Lineups

Several media outlets have released their predicted starting lineups for the match:

SportsMole’s prediction:

Manchester City: Ederson, Nunes, Dias, Aké, Guardiola, Niko, Savio, Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Marmoush, Haaland.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Asensio, Rüdiger, Mendy, Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinícius Jr., Mbappé.

Opta’s prediction:

Manchester City: Ederson, Lewis, Dias, Aké, Guardiola, Gündogan, Niko, Savio, De Bruyne, Foden, Marmoush.

Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Asensio, Tchouaméni, Mendy, Ceballos, Camavinga, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinícius Jr., Mbappé.

Sporting News’ prediction:

Manchester City: Ederson, Khusanov, Aké, Dias, Guardiola, Stones, Niko, Savio, Foden, Marmoush, Haaland.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Tchouaméni, Asensio, Mendy, Ceballos, Camavinga, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinícius Jr., Mbappé.

Of the three sources, only Sporting News includes Khusanov in the starting lineup, positioning him at right-back. Guardiola himself has yet to finalize his selection, and the official lineup will be revealed before kickoff.