Man City - Dortmund: Anticipating an exciting attacking showdown

Both teams have 7 points after 3 matches, and the outcome of this encounter at Etihad will be crucial in the race for direct qualification to the round of 16.

Man City is regaining momentum after a slowdown in the Premier League. Two consecutive wins against Swansea and Bournemouth have propelled Pep Guardiola’s team back into the Top 2, although they still trail Arsenal by 6 points.

In the Champions League, The Citizens hold 7 points from 3 games, including wins over Napoli and Villarreal and a draw with Monaco.

Niko Kovac’s side has had an impressive start to the 2025 - 2026 season, losing only once in 14 matches across all competitions (a 1-2 defeat to Bayern Munich). Notably, Dortmund struggled to contain Harry Kane before, and now they face a similar challenge in Haaland. The Norwegian striker has scored 13 goals in 10 Premier League games this season, along with 4 goals in 3 Champions League matches.

Kovac’s team shows contrasting performances across competitions. They struggle in the Bundesliga with narrow wins but have scored 12 goals in 3 Champions League games — just one goal fewer than the top-scoring team PSG.

Man City and Dortmund have met 8 times in the Champions League, with the English side winning 4, drawing 2, and losing 2. At Etihad, Man City has won all their last 3 encounters.

Erling Haaland is the focal point of the Man City vs Dortmund clash. The Norwegian striker spent over two seasons at Dortmund, scoring 86 goals and providing 19 assists in 89 appearances for the Ruhr club. Haaland also played a key role in helping Dortmund win the 2020 - 2021 DFB-Pokal — the club’s most recent trophy. He scored the decisive goal in their 2-1 victory over his former team when they met in 2022.

Haaland also has the chance to make history by becoming the first player to score in 5 consecutive Champions League matches for 3 different clubs — following similar streaks with Salzburg (2019) and Dortmund (2021).

Man City’s recent impressive run highlights Haaland’s outstanding form. The Norwegian striker recently scored a brace to help secure a 3-1 win over Bournemouth. This brought his total goals across all competitions this season to 17 (13 in the Premier League and 4 in the Champions League).

It is clear that after De Bruyne’s departure from Etihad, Pep Guardiola is building a new Man City focused around Haaland, playing more directly and with faster transitions. This has allowed the striker to score regularly, often making runs behind defenses and finishing effectively.

Facing his former club again, this match is likely to be very emotional for Haaland.

Besides Haaland, the strong form of Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku helps maintain Man City’s powerful attack. Man City also boasts an impressive record, having won all 11 recent home matches against German teams and never losing to Dortmund at Etihad.

Meanwhile, Dortmund has scored in every away game this season, even against strong opponents. If they maintain their current scoring form, they could pose a significant threat to Man City’s defense.

The match between Man City and Dortmund will take place at 3 AM on November 6th.

Projected starting lineups for both teams

Man City: Donnarumma, Nunes, Stones, Dias, Ait-Nouri, Gonzalez, Rodri, Doku, Foden, Savinho, Haaland.

Dortmund: Kobel, Schlotterbeck, Anton, Bensebaini, Couto, Nmecha, Bellingham, Svensson, Brandt, Beier, Guirassy.

Schedule for the 4th matchday of the 2025 - 2026 Champions League group stage

On November 6th: At 00:45: Qarabag vs Chelsea and 00:45: Pafos FC vs Villarreal. At 3 AM, there are 7 matches including: Newcastle vs Athletic Bilbao; Benfica vs Leverkusen; Inter vs Kairat Almaty; Ajax vs Galatasaray; Man City vs Dortmund; Marseille vs Atalanta; Club Brugge vs Barcelona.