They’re all tough from hereon in…
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| Etihad Stadium |
Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 8/11).
Fluid 4-1-5-0 / 4-6-0 / 4-3-3:
______________________________________________
Sterling_________________________________Mahrez
_____________________Foden____________________
_________De Bruyne______________Silva__________
______________________Rodri____________________
Zinchenko_______________________________Cancelo
___________Laporte_____________Stones__________
_____________________Ederson__________________
Subs: Steffen, Carson, Ake, Egan-Riley, Mbete, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Grealish, Kayky, McAtee, Jesus, Delap.
A bit of a question about whether our manager will want to deploy John Stones as a makeshift right-wing back but I’m GUESSING that he will want to try ‘n’ stretch Atletico as much as possible and, therefore, perhaps go with flanking defenders who are more accustomed to driving forward in support of their winger teammates. And so…
…Ederson in net.
A back-4 of Oleksandr, Aymeric, John & Joao; the latter in his more-natural right-wing back position.
Rodders ‘holds’ and then ahead of him; a fluid, interchangeable, attacking-5 of Raheem, Kevin, Phil, Bernardo & Riyad.
Two back-up stoppers on the bench in the form of Zack & Scott; Nathen, Conrad & Luke are the defensive replacement options in ‘the 12’. Fernandinho, Ilkay, Jack, Kayky, James, Gabriel & Liam make up the midfield / wing / attacking players hoping to ‘get the call’ at some stage…SHOULD Pep go with a full complement of 12. A caveat to some of those that I’ve listed on the bench is that the EDS players did have an away game in London last night and, therefore, might not feature - we might not see a ‘full 12’ on the bench. It was a 3-3 draw against Arsenal’s second team with two injury time goals from Liam Delap & James McAtee within 60-seconds or so of each other salvaging a valuable point in their pursuit of the Premier League 2 title.
5 subs from 12 are allowed in this competition.
Notable absences:
- Kyle Walker – Suspended for this game; his last of a 3-match, European ban.
- Ruben Dias – Closer to his maximum expected time out of 6 weeks following a hamstring injury but not ready for this game nor, we were told recently, for the Liverpool clash on Sunday.
- Cole Palmer – Having problems recovering from a foot injury he sustained back in January. He is being monitored and season-ending surgery ‘could be on the cards’…
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
Yes.
Result? A hard-working, organised side; hard to break down and who are in good form. It’s a toughie for sure.
Apparently, earlier on in the season their manager did try to tweak their system that’s proven so effective in-keeping the opposition out and wanted his side to cause a little more threat. From what I heard, this didn’t work out too well and they lost early ground in the league; leaving them joint second on points but 12-points behind the leaders. Whether they’ve reverted to their previous formation & tactics I couldn’t tell you but, as I’ve said; they’re in good form at the moment with 7 wins and 1 draw in the last 8 in all competitions; scoring 17 and conceding just 4 in that time. Like us, our visitors do have a key defender out with injury.
A bonus for us, I believe, is that we sailed through our last outing against a very lethargic-looking Burnley side in front of an unusually-quiet Burnley home crowd. We didn’t need to get out of second gear nor break sweat and so, for me, it was like a nice-little warm-up game after the international break and before tonight’s fixture. That’s something I never expected at Turf Moor…
There are some confident noises coming out of our camp in recent days, which is good to see of course, but I think it’s gonna be a really tight affair.
It’s one I think we will win but we’re going to have to work very, very hard for it; much harder than last Saturday. It’s a home win from me.
Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result…
Prediction: N/A
Result: N/A
Expected weather conditions during the game: Some lovely, Manchester spring weather to welcome the Spanish side – showery, breezy and just 10 or 11C. Should make for a fast pitch and the drizzle will help keep the players cool as they exert themselves in, what is sure to be, a close-pressing game by both sides whenever they don’t have the ball. A waterproof jacket is advisable for the fans.
Solidarity
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