Man City vs Young Boys – Champions League: Live score, team news and updates as Erling Haaland opens the scoring before Phll Foden adds a brilliant second at the Etihad

The players come back out and John Stones has been replaced by Nathan Ake. Don’t think that is an injury, more likely Guardiola is looking to rest the Englishman ahead of a weekend clash against Chelsea.

AC Milan and PSG are currently locked at half time with the score level at 1-1. Skriniar opened the scoring for the visitors in the first half before Rafael Leao equalised just minutes later.

Celitc’s Champions League campaign appears to be all but over with Atletico Madrid leading the Scottish giants 2-0 in Spain’s capital. Celitc have been reduced to 10-men to take matters worse for Brendan Rodgers.

Foden’s strike gives City breathing space at the interval as they head in with a deserved two-goal lead. Erling Haaland initially opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Matheus Nunes was brought down in the box.

City have largely been their own worst enemy amidst a surprising lack of quality in the final third with Young Boys failing to mount any attack worthy of scaring the hosts defence.

It’s not been glamarous from City but they haven’t been tested and have largely been allowed to drift through this game by their Swiss opponents.

Foden makes it two for City as we enter stoppage time and what a goal it was. Grealish fizzed the ball over to Foden on the wing and from there his touch creates space before cutting in and bending the ball into the bottom corner. Great moment of skill.

The hosts are still in firm control but they haven’t looked as comfortable in the last few minutes. Young Boys are breaking up City’s attacks with some smart fould and things just aren’t clicking in the final third. The visitors are quietly growing in confidence.

It should be his second goal of the game, Guardiola thinks his striker has scored, but a crucial touch see’s the cross clip Haaland on the thigh and ruining the eventual shot that peeters through to the goalkeeper.

The Man City defender has had virtually nothing to do without the ball tonight so has been his side’s dominance, but is alert and ready for the danger as Young Boys venutre forward. Dias of course deals with the danger expertly to get City going again.

The ball is played through and Haaland uses a burst of speed to get in behind. He is well matched though by Camara who ends up winning a goal kick with the clearance hitting Haaland before going behind.

Young Boys are desparetely defending as City work the ball from right-to-left and Grealish tries to find a way through. Haaland is in a constant battle with defenders, while City’s midfield is winning all of their duels for second balls.

As if it was ever in doubt! Haaland sends the goalkeeper the wrong way and finds the back of the net for his 66th goal in 70 games for Man City.

Lauper has just been booked and is lucky to escape another as he catches the leg of Nunes in the box. Penalty is awarded.

Jack Grealish turns on a burst of speed before being dragged down by the clumsy leg of Sandro Lauper. Yellow card shown.

Kyle Walker takes on the free-kick and fires low towards the bottom corner. Young Boys goalkeeper Anthony Racioppi parries the effort into the path of Foden but reacts quickest to turn the next shot behind for a corner. Great goalkeeping.

The City midfielder elegantly drifts through the opposition defence with a couple of nutmegs before being hacked down by Benito on the edge of the box. Great shooting chance for City here.

Victory for City tonight would confirm their place in the next round of the Champions League, but they are currently being helped to that objective by RB Leipzig after they took the lead against Red Star. City can draw and still advance if Leipzig win.

The City striker gets through Young Boys defence but is forced wide, however, his eventual shot is squirmed towards goal and the keeper has to get down smartly to smother the threat.

The Man City youngster thought he had opened his Champions League account when the ball rolled out to him on the six-yard line in the Young Boys box.

Benito made sure he didn’t as the defender hooked Lewis’ effort off the line. What a chance that was.

City are very rarely wasteful, but Foden was with his first chance as he opted to try and dink a cute to the back-post when a shot was the better option from inside the box. Don’t expect him to make the wrong decision next time.

City kicked off and they have barely let go of the ball since. John Stones is being tasked with carrying the ball through the middle of the park and Young Boys are setting up to counter.

We are underway in Manchester. Keep with us over the next 90 minutes and don’t miss a moment of the key action.

City captain Kyle Walker leads the team out at the Etihad as they attempt to qualify for the next round of the Champions League tonight.

Akanji’s injury is confirmed and he will now miss out with Kyle Walker being brought in to deputise.

Asking John Stones to drop from midfield into defence was one option and that would have given Kalvin Phillips a chance to get a rare start, but Guardiola prefers to bring in Walker.

The Man City centre-back was taking part in City’s warm-up drills but has just headed back down the tunnel a few minutes before his team mates.

Akanji was talking with City’s medical team in the dugout before being followed back to the changing room and this could be a forced injury change for Guardiola.

It would be easy to pick Haaland as the City star to watch, but Phil Foden has been quietly going about his business in recent games and starts again tonight.

Foden has scored four goals in all competitions with half of those coming in his last two Premier League appearances against Bournemouth and Man United.

The England international – like many of City’s squad – has struggled to get regular consecutive starts, but is showing signs that he is beginning to mature as a player and in gaining Guardiola’s trust.

Expect Foden to be lively tonight and it would be no surprise to see him score.

It’s been something of an indifferent start to life for Nunes since he joined in a £53m deal from Wolves. Tonight he needs to take his chance after being given the nod to start by Guardiola.

He’s featured nine times for City in all competitions this season but has registered just one assist and has so far failed to hit the heights many Sky Blues supporters would have been expecting.

Nunes partners Kovacic in midfield tonight and he must deliver on his responsibility to create goals for the hosts at the Etihad.

Tonight’s hosts can clinch their fourth win of the Champions League group stage, but they also have a rare chance to match their other results in the competition so far.

City have won every group stage game this season 3-1 and while they’ve been unable to keep a clean sheet, their attacking prowess has been too much for their competition to handle.

City will ease into the Champions League knockout stages with victory tonight and it would be a huge surprise if anything but that happense here at the Etihad. But who else could be joining them? Mail Sport did the maths below.

Spare a thought for Julian Alvarez tonight as he starts the match in the dugout. Last week he was named in the Ballon d’Or’s top ten for the best men’s player in the world, yet he is still filling the void of providing backup for the immense Erling Haaland.

The Argentinian started City’s opening Champions League clash against Red Star but has since been reduced to coming off the bench with Haaland favoured by Pep Guardiola.

Alvarez has scored three goals in the competition this season and you wonder just how good he could be if regularly handed starts.

City’s Swiss visitors have revealed their starting team for tonight’s Champions League clash and they’ve left their top scorer for the season, Jean-Pierre Nsame, on the bench at the Etihad.

Manchester City name a strong side to take on Young Boys with Erling Haaland fit to lead the line and Rico Lewis being drafted in to midfield.

Jack Grealish is preferred to Doku on the left-wing and you suspect the young Belgian might be slightly irked to miss out on starting after his tremendous weekend performance.

The reigning Champions League holders can breeze into the knockout stages of the competition if they beat Young Boys in Manchester tonight.

City have been imperious in the European cup competition so far, winning three out of three matches, and will qualify for the next stage with another three group points tonight.

Young Boys will put up a fight, but City should have too much for them to handle.

City’s Champions League results:

• Man City v Red Star (H): 3-1
• RB Leipzig v Man City (A): 1-3
• Young Boys v Man City (A): 3-1

Good evening and thanks for joining us on what is a wet Tuesday evening in Manchester. Man City can brighten the mood by qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages when they kick off against Young Boys at 8pm.

Before then we have all the team news, pre-match hype and lots more to cover.