UEFA Champions League: Team news, broadcast options, preview for Man City vs. Crvena Zvezda live on Sept. 19, 2023

Topics: TV Schedules, Manchester City, Crvena Zvezda, UEFA Champions League

The reigning champions kick off their title defense this Tuesday, hosting the Serbian champions in what should be an entertaining game at the Etihad Stadium. Here is everything you need to know about this clash.

Where can I watch Man City vs. Crvena Zvezda live on TV?

This game will not be on TV in the USA while those in the UK can tune in to TNT Sports 2. Like in the USA, this game will not be on TV in Australia and Canada. If you live elsewhere, please check our dedicated match page for further information on how to follow this game live on TV in your country.

Where can I stream Man City vs. Crvena Zvezda live?

Fans in the USA have Paramount+ and ViX to choose from. UK fans can tune in to discovery+ and the discovery+ app while those in Canada need a DAZN subscription to watch this game live. Stan Sport has fans in Australia covered. If you live elsewhere, please check our dedicated match page for further information on how to stream this game live in your country.

Preview

The UEFA Champions League is finally here! Everyone's favorite European club competition marks its return on Tuesday, with the 2023-24 season kicking off with a host of interesting games, including Manchester City's clash with Crvena Zvezda. The reigning champions host the Serbian side in a 3 p.m. ET clash at the Etihad Stadium as Guardiola's men look to commence their title defense with a win.

As mentioned earlier, the Cityzens are the reigning champions of Europe — who could forget their treble already? Last season saw Guardiola's men finally get their hands on the trophy that had eluded them for years and that was the UEFA Champions League crown, beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final.

And it was not simply their continental success that caught everyone's eye. Manchester City went on to leapfrog Arsenal in the Premier League title race in the final few rounds — albeit injuries to Mikel Arteta's side lent a helping hand — and beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final to win the fabled treble.

The club have shown no sign of stopping despite that success, with Haaland and Co. being the only team in the English top flight with a perfect start to the campaign. The departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez had rival fans hoping for a drop-off but this does not seem to be the case.

The English giants enter this clash on the back of a comeback win over West Ham in the Premier League, with Pep's men beating the Hammers 3-1 over the weekend. Summer signing Jeremy Doku got his first goal for the club to mark an outstanding performance and was joined on the scoresheet by Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland. Will they continue this streak when they face Crvena Zvezda?

The Serbian side will unfortunately be in for one of the toughest 90 minutes of football possible and while Crvena Zvezda should travel to the Etihad Stadium with the sole aim of getting something out of the game, the odds of this occurring are slim.

While the Serbian club have not endured a horrible start to their domestic league season, things could be better for the visitors. They are currently third in the table and while they have won five matches already, the Red-and-Whites have suffered slip-ups in the build-up to this UEFA Champions League fixture.

Red Star Belgrade began the Serban Superliga with four consecutive wins, scoring a whopping 16 times while only conceding one goal. However, in the three games that have followed, Barak Bakhar's side have lost twice, which includes their most recent outing over the weekend.

This will be the Serbian team's first UEFA Champions League campaign since the 2019-20 season and anyone who remembers how things panned out for them back then will vividly remember Crvena Zvezda finishing bottom of the table. The presence of both Manchester City and RB Leipzig in this group could spell a similar fate but the Serbian champions must face this hurdle nonetheless.

Team news

Manchester City: Mateo Kovacic, Jack Grealish, and John Stones could miss this game while Kevin de Bruyne remains a long-term absentee. Nathan Ake could return to the lineup, however, while Jeremy Doku will be hoping to retain his starting XI spot following his lovely performance vs. West Ham.

Crvena Zvezda: The visitors have no injury concerns outside of Aleksandar Katai and thus have a near-full squad to choose from. The Serbian giants could opt for a back three and a midfield five to prevent being picked apart by the hosts, which should make for an interesting watch.

Key stats

This will be the first clash between these two clubs in history.
Crvena Zvezda have lost all of their last six away games in the UEFA Champions League, conceding a whopping 22 goals.
The Serbian club have won only once in England in 11 visits and that came against Liverpool way back in 1973-74.
While Manchester City lost the Community Shield to Arsenal not too long ago, the Cityzens are unbeaten in their last nine competitive matches across all competitions.
Erling Haaland scored 12 goals in the UEFA Champions League last season and won the Golden Boot but is currently on a three-game goalscoring drought in this competition.