Sergio Aguero
Manchester City will have to make do without key striker Sergio Aguero for the next four matches in the EPL Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Manchester City host Celtic in the final group game of the Champions League on Tuesday, December 6 with the Citizens having no chance of improving on their second place finish in the group, behind Barcelona. Pep Gaurdiola is likely to make a host of changes to the first eleven with a few bit part players likely to get a look-in.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 7:45pm GMT. Live coverage of the game will be on BT Sport 3 and BT Sport 3 HD.

Overview

City are currently on eight points and have guaranteed qualification to the knockouts given their head to head record against Bayer Monchengladbach. They are four points behind leaders Barcelona and can use this game to experiment as Guardiola waits for round of 16 draw on Monday, December 12, where they will be pitted against the teams finishing top of their respective groups.

Sergio Aguero is expected to be given an opportunity to prove his detractors wrong after being handed a four game ban in the Premier League, following a wild challenge on David Luiz in their 3-1 loss to Chelsea at the Etihad. Fernandinho has also been pulled up for three games after his face-off with Cesc Fabregas and saw a red card for the confrontation. Meanwhile, Willy Caballero is set to return between the sticks for City, with Claudio Bravo set to be rested after an uninspiring game against the Blues.

Meanwhile, Celtic are finishing bottom of the group irrespective of the result. Brendan Rodgers will however be buoyed by their performance against the EPL giants at home, where they drew 3-3 and were good value for their point. However, they are absolutely hopeless in the away from home, losing 26 times on 29 occasions in Europe thus far.

What Managers Say

Pep Guardiola told the club website: "There will be changes tomorrow, definitely. I am so happy to give minutes to people who deserve to play and who did not play in the last games. If Sergio is going to play or not, I am going to decide today or tomorrow. I don't know at the moment. I like all the players to play. I would like more substitutions, four or five or six, to create a new dynamic. If we play one game a week, I would rotate fewer. Always I did rotate and always I will do it."

Brendan Rodgers told the club website: "When you look and see where a lot of the players have come from, a lot of them haven't experienced this level so to make that jump, or that first game away, it can be very daunting. The players have responded and gained confidence. They performed very well in the Barcelona game, even though we lost. Borussia away was much better and a good marker for us going away and performing well with that composure and quality, and then of course there was the Manchester City game where we couldn't have played them at a worse time, where they were high on confidence and had won 10 straight games."

Betting Odds (betfair)

  • Manchester City win: 7/20
  • Draw: 9/2
  • Celtic win: 17/2

Team News

Manchester City

Possible XI: Caballero; Maffeo, Zabaleta, Adarabioyo, Clichy; Fernando, Delph; Nolito, Iheanacho, Sané; Agüero

Celtic

Possible XI: Gordon; Lustig, Sviatchenko, Šimunović, Izaguirre; Roberts, Brown, Armstrong, Forrest; Rogic, Démbelé.

Manchester City FC Champions League Premier League