Both Manchester City and Sporting are on seven points from three Champions League games so far but City won 5-0 on aggregate when the sides met in the last 16 of the competition in 2022.

"I feel like I'm a better coach [now]," said Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, whose side have won 14 of their past 15 games in all competitions.

"Unfortunately what I feel is that [Pep] Guardiola has also become an even better coach, so the gap remains. [City have] the best team in the world and the best coach in the world."

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Manchester City's current injury list:

Rodri, Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Oscar Bobb

Dias has not travelled to Lisbon and Pep Guardiola hinted he has been playing through injury in recent weeks while Kyle Walker has made the journey but played at the weekend having been out for several weeks.

For two out of their last three matches Guardiola has named just five outfield players on their bench and admitted they are "in trouble" when it comes to injuries.

"The reason it is difficult is because we have had a lot of absentees, which can happen in some seasons," Guardiola said.

"To win the Treble, everything has to be on the same page with injuries, but this is not possible this time.

"The teams are very strong and everything is more difficult and we have to accept that. That is the challenge."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter in Lisbon

Bernardo Silva was an old team-mate of Ruben Amorim, quite a long time ago, when the Manchester City star was emerging from the youth ranks at Benfica.

At the time, he didn't pay any attention to Amorim's desire to move into coaching but he did notice the Sporting coach played in a variety of different positions, which gave him a different perspective on the game.

From next Monday, the pair will be on opposite sides of the Manchester divide, so Bernardo cannot wish him too much success.

But he is glad to see another fellow Portuguese in the Premier League.

"We shared a few months together at Benfica [as team-mates], often we trained with the main team," Silva said.

"He always showed he could read the game because he played different positions. He played as a defender, on the left, and as a midfield player.

"When Ruben becomes the coach of Manchester United, we will worry about that then."

Ruben Amorim has quite a lot to live up to if fans do start drawing comparisons with Sir Alex Ferguson, who won 38 trophies during 26 years as Manchester United boss before retiring in 2013.

Amorim has led Sporting to two Portuguese titles in his four years at the club, while his side have won 14 of their past 15 games in all competitions, only losing the Portuguese Super Cup this season.

Both City and Sporting are on seven points from three Champions League games so far.

Stephen Warnock
Former Liverpool defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

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We have just got to give Pep Guardiola a little bit of time to find that right balance within that midfield area. A lot of people speculated that John Stones might be the one to step in after Rodri's injury, but there have been injuries at centre back too and Stones himself has had injuries.

It is incredible that after two losses we are all talking about a crisis. That is the very high standard that City have set under Guardiola. Let's judge them at the end of the season.

Pep Guardiola v Ruben Amorim - how much of a rivalry will this be in the future?

Guardiola has had his fair share of match-ups against Man United managers since he joined the club eight years ago. He's already outlasted four - Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag. Later, he faces Amorim's Sporting, and next month, he'll face Amorim's United for the first time.

So how has Guardiola done against those he's come up against before? He's faced Manchester United 23 times since joining in 2016; winning 12, drawing three and losing eight.

• Guardiola v Mourinho: P6, W3, D1, L2
• Guardiola v Solskjaer: P9, W4, D1, L4
• Guardiola v Rangnick: P1, W1, D0, L0
• Guardiola v Ten Hag: P7, W4, D1, L2

So, while Pep has the edge, it's not as comprehensive as you may think. What will Amorim be able to do in this new-look rivalry?

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In his press conference on Monday Ruben Amorim said that Manchester United fans would think "the new Alex Ferguson has arrived" if his Sporting team beat Manchester City tonight.

"If the result is very negative, expectations will drop and I don't think that's a bad starting point, when you begin at Manchester United," he said.

"If we win they'll think the new Alex Ferguson has arrived, which is very difficult to maintain.

"I'm fully aware that I'm going to be judged as a manager on this game, and only on this game, and I realise what [people] can take from this depending on the result."

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S.a.m: Bonfire night & hopefully tonight’s Champions League line-up produces some fireworks.

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For those of you who didn't know Jamie Gittens a couple of months back, you might do now.

The England under-21 international has scored three times for Borussia Dortmund - including two in the 3-0 win at Club Bruges and once at the Bernabeu in his club's 5-2 loss to Real Madrid - in Europe this season.

He will fancy his chances against Sturm Graz tonight, with the Austrians 32nd with zero points.

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Stephen Warnock
Former Liverpool defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

We know Curtis Jones is a very good player but the inconsistencies of his game are the issue. He was fantastic against Chelsea, he then continues [in the side] in the next game against Arsenal and didn't hit the heights we expect of him. He has to be more consistent in order to play every week for Liverpool.

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Andros Townsend
Former Tottenham and Crystal Palace midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

Liverpool were a bit flat against Brighton at the weekend and it was only really when Arne Slot brought on Luis Diaz and Curtis Jones that the game flipped. They brought an energy that the side did not have before. It makes sense that both start this game tonight.

Rezaa Sait: Wouldn't be surprised if Leverkusen won tonight. Liverpool can't seem to cope when teams come at them, as shown against Arsenal, Chelsea and Brighton. Their luck runs out tonight.

Former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema believes Kylian Mbappe's problem in the Spanish capital is that he is "not a central striker".

France captain Mbappe, who joined Real after his Paris St-Germain contract ended in July, has eight goals in 14 appearances for Madrid but has scored just once in his past five games.

"The problem, in my opinion, is that [Mbappe] is not a central striker, even with the national team, every time he plays as a number nine he doesn't feel right, because that's not his position," former France striker Benzema said on Spanish television show El Chiringuito.

Read the full story here

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The one change for Celtic following Saturday's six-goal show at Hampden is at left-back. Greg Taylor replaces Barcelona loanee Alex Valle.

Auston Trusty also keeps his place in the centre of defence with Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Celtic XI: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor, McGregor, Hatate, Engels, Kuhn, Kyogo, Maeda.

RB Leipzig XI: Gulacsi, Geertruida, Orban, Bitshiabu, Henrichs, Nusa, Haidara, Kampl, Baumgartner, Sesko, Openda.

Follow our live coverage of Celtic v RB Leipzig here.

Stephen Warnock
Former Liverpool defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

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Last year there was a lot of talk about Xabi Alonso possibly coming back to the club, and now it is a case of 'what could have been' tonight for Liverpool. What the style of play might have been like should he have taken the job for example.

His managerial career has been exceptional. It probably hasn't gone the way he would have liked this year, but living up to what they achieved last season was a lot of pressure. They are still a very dangerous team.

Liverpool

Bayer Leverkusen, who won the German league and cup last season and reached the final of the Europa League, are not quite hitting the same heights this season. However, they have only lost one game in all competitions. They sit fourth in the Bundesliga and sixth in the 36-team Champions League table.

"Domestically and in Europe last season they were incredible," said Liverpool boss Arne Slot. "This season they are just as good but a bit more unlucky when it comes to results. It's a big game to look forward to for people who love the game."

Liverpool have won 13 of their 15 games this season under Slot after fighting back to beat Brighton 2-1 on Saturday.

"Football is played in two moments, having the ball and not, and against strong teams - Leverkusen is one - you need to be good on both sides," Slot said.

"We were poor on both sides against Brighton. Leverkusen are at least equal to Brighton with the ball. So we need a much better performance than the first half."

Viktor Gyokeres is in action this evening for Sporting.

With 63 goals in 66 matches since moving to Lisbon in 2023, he is the one to watch this evening.

He already has 20 goals in 16 appearances this season so Pep Guardiola will certainly have a plan for keeping the Sweden striker quiet tonight.

Read more about the former Coventry man's journey here.

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Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter in Lisbon

The build-up to tonight's game in Lisbon has been dominated by Ruben Amorim and his impending move to Manchester United.

But Amorim is not the only famous Sporting figure heading to Manchester.

Sporting director Hugo Viana will join Manchester City at the end of the season. Viana will replace Txiki Begiristain as City's director of football.

The pair met at the UEFA Youth League game earlier today. From the pictures, it all looked very cordial.

Viana will have been particularly pleased as Sporting won 2-0, with City skipper Max Alleyne getting a second-half red card.

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Manchester City's Erling Haaland has been directly involved in 49 goals in 42 appearances in the Champions League (44 goals, five assists).

If he scores or assists on Tuesday, the 24-year-old will become the player to reach 50 goal involvements in the fewest games in the competition's history.

Manchester City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says his team must accept that "everything is more difficult" this season as they aim to maintain their high standards.

Premier League champions City suffered a first league defeat of the season against Bournemouth on Saturday, three days after losing to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup by the same 2-1 scoreline.

They must bounce back tonight to maintain their unbeaten start in the Champions League with the added intrigue that they will be facing soon-to-be Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim's Sporting.

"I know our standards but we've lost just one [league] game. Maybe we are going to lose again in the [next three games in the] Premier League against Brighton, Tottenham and Liverpool," Guardiola said.

"We are just two points behind Liverpool who are a top-class team. We've started well in the Champions League but I know people expect us to win 38 league games and win the Treble every season as these are our standards."

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