Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola opted to name four centre-backs and an additional midfielder in his starting XI against RB Leipzig to combat the opposition's strength in central areas.
With a place in the Champions League quarter-finals at stake, Guardiola made one change from the win over Crystal Palace with Kevin De Bruyne replacing Phil Foden in the line-up. It meant John Stones and Nathan Ake were retained at right-back and left-back respectively, despite being central defenders by trade.
Given his recent form, the omission of Foden was also quite surprising. The 22-year-old had scored four goals from as many outings in all competitions, while De Bruyne has not been firing on all cylinders.
