On the build up to the game against Arsenal last Sunday, I just got a feeling that our manager would start with no recognised striker and that’s exactly what he did.
This time, I have the exact opposite sense, which comes with an odd vibe also that Pep could well ask Sergio to START this one…
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| Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary |
Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 9/11).
Fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3:
____________________Aguero____________________
Foden___________________________________Mahrez
__________Gundogan________Silva________________
____________________Rodri______________________
Zinchenko_______________________________Cancelo
______________Dias_________Stones______________
___________________Ederson_____________________
Subs: Steffen, Carson, Mendy, Walker, Garcia, Laporte, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Doyle, Sterling, Torres, Jesus.
Having boldly stuck my neck out with a prediction about a starting place for Sergio, I have to say that I do find predicting ‘starting 11s’ slightly more difficult in European matches than I tend do for domestic fixtures, for one reason or another BUT…
Ederson has the gloves.
I think form - and some rested players last Sunday - has a lot to do with how I feel Guardiola might choose his personnel here…although I fully accept also that he will know / will have studied our host far more that I and, therefore, may have his choices influenced also by ‘gladbach’s style & strengths. Regardless, I think we’ll see Oleksandr & Joao flanking both Ruben & John at the back.
Rodders to step back in as our deepest midfield, having had a full rest at the weekend.
Ahead of the Spaniard, I think we’ll see rested also, Phil; with Ilkay, Bernardo & Riyad from left to right in our attacking midfield / wing department.
Yep…Sergio to start ‘up top’ is my slightly-audacious guess.
2 keepers in reserve in this 12-man bench (where 5 are allowed to be brough on) in the form of Zack & Scott; Benjamin, Kyle, Eric & Aymeric are the defenders on the side. Fernandinho, Kevin, who looked understandably quite rusty last Sunday I thought, Tommy, Raheem, Ferran & Gabriel make up the midfield / wing / attacking change-options. What a bench!
Notable absences:
- Nathan Ake – The only first team player unavailable to our manager. As far as we know, Nathan continues light training alone to aid his recovery from a hamstring / muscular injury.
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
Result? All I know about tonight’s opponents is that they are, apparently, a spirited, hard-working side who performed well in a tough group stage which included, no less, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk & Inter Milan.
And in the Bundesliga, they’ve only lost 5 of their 22 played. However, the reason they sit 8th in the table is because of the amount of draws they’ve collected, which total 9.
- On the positive side for them; drawing that many, winning 8 league games as well as beating the likes of Shakhtar & Inter to Champions League qualification to the knock-out stages, does suggest that they are a tough side to break down.
- On the negative side, they are showing some erratic league form of late – W D L D L being their last 5 – and have concede almost as many as they have scored in the league too, with 33 against and 38 for.
And lastly, from what I’ve recently heard, that recent erratic form could be due to one of the worst kept secrets in German football at the moment, which is that their manager will be leaving at the end of the season to join league rivals, Dortmund. Yep, that’ll do it alright…
It’s difficult to say, in some ways, having-not researched their players and not knowing, of course, how they might perform for their departing manager in this competition; but it probably won’t help their cause either that this is effectively being played at a neutral venue, with Covid-19 restrictions scuppering their chances of playing their home leg…at home.
Add to that slightly-confusing mix both our fine form & confidence? I’m going for a fairly close, City win.
Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result…
Prediction: N/A
Result: N/A
Expected weather conditions during the game: Clear skies, no wind, 8 or 9C. Perfect conditions for players to run around in.
Local rivals Dortmund! ?? Reminds me of the old Colemanballs Local derby between Chester and Chesterfield.
ReplyDelete8- ) Oh yeah! I've just looked up the distance - I always (wrongly) assumed they were closer than that. Huh...
DeleteThanks for pointing that out for me and for reading.