RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose says his injury-hit side will need to deliver the “game of the season” to knock Manchester City out of the Champions League on Wednesday (7am EST).
Rose’s side will arrive at the Etihad Stadium for the last 16 second leg with just 17 outfield players.
Christopher Nkunku and Xavier Schlager are among the main absentees from the Bundesliga club, who drew 1-1 with City in the first leg last month.
Inter Milan, meanwhile, travels to Porto to play the Portuguese national team, but are outscored 1-0 on aggregate.
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Leipzig were already an underdog to the Premier League champions even without their injury issues, and Rose knows they have to be perfect to pull off a major upset.
“We played against the opposition a few weeks ago and we know what to expect but in theory it looks easy. In practice it’s a different ball game,” Rose told reporters on Monday.
“The first half in Leipzig was bad. Our defense wasn’t too bad but we didn’t have anything, and that was the main issue.
“We want to be more intense when we defend, which means we’ll have more possession, but once we get the ball we need to be more responsible as well.
“If we just push it will open spaces for them, but if we just defend and don’t attack, at some point we will concede.
“We need to find the right balance, we need a lot of confidence and courage, and we’re going to need our best game this season.”
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Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola admits his reign at Manchester City will be defined by success in the Champions League no matter how many times his side have won the Premier League.
The 52-year-old lifted the Premier League four times, while also winning four League Cups and an FA Cup during seven remarkably successful years in Manchester.
However, for all his domestic glory with City, the Champions League is the holy grail.
Asked if his time at City would be judged solely on his European achievements, Guardiola told reporters: “Yes. It doesn’t mean I agree with that but certainly we will be judged by this competition.”
With City five points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, the Champions League has become even more important to Guardiola’s side this season.
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