Demichelis leads Leipzig against Manchester City to prove his Champions League credentials

Argentina’s Martín Demichelis is looking to show he can lead Leipzig in big matches when his side faces his former club Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday. Demichelis played three seasons for City, winning the Premier League in 2014 and the League Cup twice.

Demichelis took charge of Leipzig this summer after coaching spells that included Bayern Munich’s reserve team, River Plate, Monterrey and Mallorca. He was appointed after Ole Werner was sacked. Werner had taken the team back to the Champions League and helped develop Ivorian player Yan Diomande, who moved to Real Madrid. The source said Real paid 125 million euros to sign the player, after he had joined Leipzig for 20 million a year earlier.

Manchester City have lost two of their last three matches, while Leipzig have won three in a row after a poor start that included a 1-4 defeat to Como in the Champions League and a 1-6 loss to Bayern Munich in the league. Leipzig are three points off the top of the Bundesliga but sit twenty-ninth in the Champions League, having won once in their first three matches.

Leipzig defender Maxime Estève said Demichelis had brought a competitive spirit to the club, pointing to his determination to win and his attention to detail. He added that the coach reminds him of Vincent Kompany, who coached him at Burnley. Estève also described City striker Erling Haaland as the best striker in the world, praising his strength, speed and ability in the air.