Already qualified for the knock-out stages and, barring a complete disaster results / goal-difference-wise, we should finish the group stage top of our table.
Surely, then, it’s time for some of our ‘fringe players’ and youngsters to showcase their talents…sprinkled with a few regulars, of course.
Thankfully, that’s what Pep has been suggesting more than once, in recent press conferences.
v Sevilla
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| Etihad Stadium |
Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 7/11).
Fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3:
I’ve not found any squad news ahead of this game that I can reliably trust (one of them had Kalvin Phillips in it FFS!), so I’m doing even more guess work with regards to youth players who may be involved tonight…
____________________Alvarez___________________
Borges_________________________________Mahrez
___________Foden_____________Palmer__________
____________________Charles___________________
Gomez___________________________________Lewis
____________Ake________________Dias___________
_____________________Ortega____________________
Subs: Carson, Ederson, Cancelo, Wilson-Esbrand, Laporte, Stones, Rodri, Gundogan, Silva, De Bruyne, Grealish, Bobb.
Stefan makes his second appearance in net within 8 days.
A back 4 that contains just one player who featured last Saturday and he, Ruben Dias, only played out the last 21 minutes of the match (including injury time); looks like Sergio, Nathan, Ruben & Rico.
Rodders & Ilkay to be given a rest? Quite possibly and if so, we could…COULD see 18-year-old, Northern Ireland international, Shea, step into the defensive midfield role. I could be wrong – that might be too much to ask of a debutant in the first team…he might not even be in the squad at all!
Ahead of Shea (or whoever) is a likely, much-changed attacking midfield that could very well consist of Carlos, Phil, Cole & Riyad.
Julian to ‘get another stab’ up front.
Scott & Ederson make up two reserve keepers on the bench; Joao, Josh, Aymeric & John make up the defenders on the side. Rodders, Ilkay, Bernardo, Kevin, Jack & Oscar make up the rather large number of midfielders / wingers / forwards in ‘the 12’…if we’re fielding a full 23-man squad, of course.
Right…you can rip up some of that predicted line-up & subs. I’ve just caught some of the EDS game v Savilla’s youth and some of the City youth that I’ve mentioned are taking part in this afternoon’s game. SO…throw a dice or do whatever – make up your own flippin' team! 😊
Notable absences:- Benjamin Mendy – Suspended by the club until further notice.
- Kyle Walker – Still out for an unspecified period of time following surgery on his groin. We are told that the club Doctors & Physios are impressed with Kyle’s improvement but he is still a little behind Kalvin Phillips with regards to the speed of his progress and a return date at this moment in time.
- Manuel Akanji – Likely to be given a full rest after he has very much helped support our defence both in the middle as well as at right-back since his arrival. He was also not spotted in training ahead of this fixture, according to one report at least, but there’s been no news about an issue with the Swiss international. The same source in a different piece states that he was seen hobbling off in our last game and hence the substitution for Ruben Dias in the 72nd minute. I must have missed that particular moment in the match – did anyone else spot it or has anyone heard of something?
- Kalvin Phillips – Out for us until after the World Cup while he recovers from a shoulder injury / surgery. He is in partial training with the squad but there’s still no ‘contact work’ for the England midfielder just yet.
- Erling Haaland – Still recovering from bruised ligament in his foot but he is-apparently feeling better and could be available for our league outing at the weekend. Protected / not risked for this one.
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
Result? It’s a very compelling game in a way – a match with the potential for us to see how both our fringe and younger players fare against a…decent enough side. Strangely, it’s one I’m very interested in-seeing; definitely a fixture for those who like to look a little beyond the regular first-teamers for a change.
And it’s a hard one to call, result wise, too – not only am I left guessing a little more than usual about who might start for us but…what sort of side are our Spanish guests going to put out; especially as they’re not going to qualify for the next round of this competition and are highly likely to want to focus all of their energies on the domestic league relegation scrap they now find themselves in. If they bulk-out their ‘starting 11’ with a number of younger players, those bursting to get a chance of first team action might just go ‘all out’ with ‘something to prove’ to their manager and, therefore, cause us some issues.
They’re in fairly poor form in La Liga, with their last 5 reading: D W D L L. In fact, they’ve only won 2 of their 12-league matches so far; scoring just 11 in that time whilst leaking 19. They sit 18th in a league of 20…but it is very tight from 10th place down to 19th.
A City side half made up of youngster & fringe players or not; I can’t see anything other than a home win tonight.
Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result…
Prediction: N/A
Result: N/A
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| Solidarity |
Spot on 👍
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