Manchester City are guaranteed a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League but tonight’s final group F matches will see who joins them in the last 16.
Pep Guardiola’s side will finish in top spot of group F with a win or a draw against Hoffenheim at the Etihad while Shakhtar Donetsk and Lyon will battle for qualification in their fixture (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4).
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On reaching the last 16 and facing tonight’s opponents Hoffenheim, Guardiola said: “We are in the next stage which is important but we have to try and win every game, to finish first. Last 16 is always tough but it’s a success we are there.
“The team we will face will be tough. They [Hoffenheim] were incredible against Donetsk and they lost. It was incredible and fascinating to watch as a spectator.
“My admiration for Hoffenheim has increased. I knew about Julian Nagelsmann and his team but now I realise how tough [it] will be.”
Here we look at the group F permutations, team news, possible starting XIs and matchday six results and fixtures.
Group F permutations
Tonight’s fixtures: Man City vs. 1899 Hoffenheim; Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Lyon
Qualified teams: Man City
Who can still qualify: Lyon and Shakhtar
Man City will clinch first place if they draw or Lyon do not win
Lyon will be through with a draw, and will finish top on head-to-head record if they win and City lose
Shakhtar will be through if they win. They will transfer to the Europa League round of 32 if they draw or Hoffenheim do not gain victory
Hoffenheim must win and hope Shakhtar lose in order to earn a Europa League place
Team news and possible starting XIs
Man City team news
City boss Guardiola has revealed that he only has 15 players available for tonight’s match against the German side.
Spanish playmaker David Silva injured his hamstring in the 2-0 defeat against Chelsea and will be out for a few weeks. Silva joins Kevin de Bruyne, Danilo, Sergio Aguero, Benjamin Mendy and Claudio Bravo on the sidelines.
Guardiola said: “Silva not able, Kevin not able, Danilo not able, Sergio isn’t ready. Maybe he [Aguero] has a chance for the weekend. We have 15 players available, so I can’t do it too much.”
Hoffenheim team news
Bundesliga.com reports that the German side will be without defensive midfielder Håvard Nordtveit (foot), forward David Otto (foot) and midfielder Lukas Rupp (cruciate ligament) while striker Ádám Szalai is suspended.
Possible starting XIs
How the teams could line up tonight at the Etihad, according to talkSPORT.
Man City possible starting XI: Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Delph; Foden, Fernandinho, Gundogan; Mahrez, Jesus, Sane
Group A: Club Brugge 0 Atlético Madrid 0; Monaco 0 Borussia Dortmund 2
Group B: Barcelona 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1; Inter Milan 1 PSV Eindhoven 1
Group C: Red Star Belgrade 1 Paris Saint-Germain 4; Liverpool 1 Napoli 0
Group D: FC Schalke 04 1 Lokomotiv Moscow 0; Galatasaray 2 FC Porto 3
Wednesday 12 December fixtures
Group E: Ajax vs. Bayern Munich (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2); Benfica vs. AEK Athens (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3)
Group F: Manchester City vs. 1899 Hoffenheim (8pm, live on BT Sport 2); Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Lyon (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4)
Group G: Real Madrid vs. CSKA Moscow (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 1); Viktoria Plzen vs. Roma (5.55pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)
Group H: Valencia vs. Manchester United (8pm, live on BT Sport 3); Young Boys vs. Juventus (8pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)
Man City vs. Hoffenheim TV channel and live stream details
The group F clash will be live on BT Sport 2. Coverage starts at 7pm and the match kicks off at 8pm. BT Sport subscribers can also watch a live steam on the broadcaster’s website.
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