Erling Haaland and Manuel Akanji get ready to face former side Borussia Dortmund for the first time when Manchester City welcomes the Bundesliga powers to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday for a UEFA Champions League group stage clash.

Haaland joined City from BVB this summer while Akanji arrived at the end of the transfer window to join fellow former Dortmund star Ilkay Gundogan on the books in Manchester.

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There is a connection going the other way, too, as USMNT attacked Giovanni Reyna’s dad Claudio played for Man City.

Premier League games were postponed at the weekend as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and Man City still isn’t sure if this game will go ahead on Wednesday.

If it does go ahead, look for an emotionally-charged game that will help dictate the top of a very difficult group that also features Sevilla and Copenhagen. Those sides meet in Denmark at the same time, 3pm ET Wednesday.

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Date: Wednesday, September 14 Kick off time: 3pm ET Online: Live updates via NBCSports.com How to watch: TUDN, Paramount+

It doesn’t get more key than this: One of Man City, Sevilla, or Dortmund will not reach the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds. With Dortmund yet to face Sevilla, a Man City win on Wednesday would make for a comfortable-enough 2-0 start to the group stage with a pair against Copenhagen to follow and a guarantee that Sevilla and/or BVB will drop more points.

Guardiola is not the apple of Dortmund’s eye following his time at heated rivals Bayern Munich, and the trio of Dortmund players at City are unlikely to make him any more liked in Germany (though this match is set for the cozier confines of the Etihad, of course).

Man City won both legs of the clubs’ 2020-21 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie, while Dortmund took four of six points in the 2012-13 group stage.

Dortmund’s terrific start to the season reached into the first UCL matchday, as Giovanni Reyna set up two of BVB’s three goals in a clean sheet win over Copenhagen, but the weekend proved too much of a depth test against stung and ready RB Leipzig. Dortmund’s 12 points through six matches are equal to Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim, and Freiburg. Union Berlin can join BVB or lead the quartet by two points depending on Sunday morning’s result versus Koln.

Aymeric Laporte (knee) will be out through the international break at the end of September, while Kyle Walker and John Stones are touch-and-go. Pep Guardiola has said they could return for any game or have to wait beyond the international break.

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Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund: How to watch, live stream, team news originally appeared on NBCSports.com