Manchester City will kick off their Champions League campaign in Rotterdam against Dutch champions Feyenoord on Wednesday.
Feyenoord are coached by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the ex-Arsenal left-back who left Barcelona a year before Pep Guardiola took over as coach at Camp Nou.
The 42-year-old has enjoyed a successful start to his managerial career, claiming the KNVB Cup in his first season at the helm before delivering Feyenoord's first Eredivisie title in 18 years last term.
| Game | Feyenoord vs Manchester City |
| Date | Wednesday, September 13 |
| Time | 19:45 BST / 14:45 ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
In the UK, the match will be available to watch live on television on BT Sport Showcase and by stream via the BT Sport app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport Showcase | BT Sport app |
In the US, the match will be available to watch live on television on Fox Soccer Plus and by stream via Fox Sports Go.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Fox Soccer Plus | Fox Sports Go |
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Feyenoord players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Vermeer, Bijlow, Jones, Ten Hove |
| Defenders | Nieuwkoop, Van Beek, St. Juste, Van der Heijden, Diks, Nelom, Botteghin, Malacia, Geertruida |
| Midfielders | El Ahmadi, Vilhena, Tapia, Amrabat, Toornstra, Hansson, Wehrmann |
| Forwards | Boetius, Larsson, Berghuis, Kramer, Vente, Toure |
Feyenoord are without defender Ridgeciano Haps and forward Nicolai Jorgensen, both of whom are injured.
In Jorgensen's absence, coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst will have to decide whether to stick with his usual 4-3-3 formation or use wide forwards Steven Berghuis and Jean-Paul Boetius as a front two.
Potential starting XI: Jones; Diks, Botteghin, Van der Heijden, Nelom; El Ahmadi, Toornstra, Vilhena; Berghuis, Kramer, Boetius.
| Position | Manchester City players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Bravo, Ederson, Muric |
| Defenders | Walker, Danilo, Stones, Mangala, Otamendi, Mendy |
| Midfielders | Gundogan, De Bruyne, Delph, Fernandinho, Sterling, Sane, B. Silva, D. Silva |
| Forwards | Aguero, Jesus |
Ederson has been training in protective headgear following his collision with Sadio Mane against Liverpool and whether or not he is ready to start remains to be seen.
Vincent Kompany, who is injured, is definitely out and Yaya Toure has not travelled, either, for reasons Guardiola has so far declined to reveal.
Potential starting XI: Bravo; Danilo, Stones, Otamendi; Walker, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, D. Silva, Mendy; Aguero, Jesus.
BETTING & MATCH ODDS
Man City are 4/11 favourites to win, according to dabblebet, with Feyenoord priced at 13/2 and the draw also available at 4/1.
Click here to view dabblebet's full selection of available match markets.
GAME PREVIEW
Getty Images
It remains the final frontier for Manchester City.
The huge investment in the club since the takeover of Sheikh Mansour has delivered two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups.
But success in European competition has not yet been achieved and it was with that goal in mind that such a deep groundwork was laid to recruit Pep Guardiola as the club's new manager.
There were other, less tangible ideals, of course; part of the attraction of Guardiola from City's perspective, as was the case with Bayern Munich, is the style of football he prefers.
He will ultimately be judged, though, on his ability to deliver Europe's top honour or, at the very least, leave behind a team primed to compete for the trophy.
"I don't know now if we're able to compete for the titles [this year] because we're in the process of growing," Guardiola said before this match against Feyenoord.
City may require more time to really reach their peak but there will be disappointment if that process does not see them at least begin to challenge the continent's big guns this season.
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