What must the mood and confidence be like of the players who took part in a 6-3 mauling of Manyoo last Sunday; a scoreline that in no WAY tells the true story of how that terrific match played out? Pretty damn good, I’d say!
There’s a very good argument, therefore, that injured players aside, we should let them revel in their exuberance against tonight’s visitors by letting ‘em all start once again whilst their collective tails are up.
The flip side of that debate would be to suggest that, without being complacent in the slightest, we should take this opportunity to give starts to players who need - and are hungry for - some gametime; whilst at the same time giving some much-needed respite to those who already have many minutes under their belts ahead of a 3:00pm (BST), Saturday Premier League fixture.
It's makes for a tricky time of it when-trying to predict a ‘starting 11’ for this one…
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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 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 (possibly 2-7-1 at times):
____________________Haaland___________________
Grealish_________________________________Alvarez
______________________________Foden___________
____________Silva______________________________
_____________________Rodri_____________________
Gomez__________________________________Cancelo
____________Akanji____________Dias______________
____________________Ederson____________________
Subs: Ortega, Carson, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand, Ake, Laporte, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Palmer, Knight & Mahrez.
Ederson keeps his place in-between ‘the sticks’, I would guess.
Some rotation in the starting-11 at the back, I would assume, with Sergio coming in on the left-hand-side; in-form Manuel might be asked to ‘go again’ with Ruben coming back in alongside him. Joao shifts over to his more-natural side of right-wing back.
Pep said that he will look at his players during a further training session [after his Tuesday afternoon press conference] but I think a ‘dead leg’ suffered by Rodri in training at the back end of last week shouldn’t keep the Spanish international out of this fixture if his manager wants to ‘put him back in there’ tonight.
Just a ‘little shuffle’ across ‘the middle of the park’ ahead Rodders, I think - Guardiola might want to maintain some good form from Jack on the left, with the still-young legs of Bernardo being given another run-out; likewise, Phil, but with Julian possibly ‘coming in’ on the right-attacking flank.
I was gonna suggest that MASSIVELY in-form Erling might be moved to the bench for this one with Julian possibly being given a central-attacking role but no; the Norwegian starts again, I think.
Two keepers on the bench in the form of Stefan & Scott; Rico, Josh, Nathan & Aymeric are the defenders on the side. Ilkay, Kevin, Cole, Ben & Riyad provide the midfield / wing cover in ‘the 11’ (from a possible 12 allowed).
I did, initially, start with Riyad on the right but after hearing Pep say in his pre-match ‘presser’ that, basically, the Algerian international hasn’t kept himself fit ‘n’ sharp enough and that “…he knows what he must do” to put himself ‘back in the frame’; I’m sticking him on the bench once again.
That irritates me somewhat - I don’t know about you, the reader. What a sad state of affairs from a player who, for me, often appears to decide when he wants to ‘switch it on’ and who, at 31, got himself 2-year contract extension in the summer; when you have the likes of Cole Palmer & Ben Knight bursting to get into the side at any given opportunity. He can be unplayable when he’s ‘up for it’ but he’s far too lax and inconsistent all-too-often. And now this, a quarter of the way through the season...
Other than that, I could be wrong with so many other predictions there – for example, Akanji could be given a rest and Laporte could be “risked” with a starting place instead. Haaland may WELL be withdrawn from the starting 11, allowing Alvarez to start ‘up top’. I have briefly wondered, also, whether Ortega might be ‘handed the gloves’ tonight…
Notable absences:
- Benjamin Mendy – Suspended by the club until further notice.
- Kyle Walker – Injured. I’m still not sure what-exactly it is – it looked like his ankle, but his manager said that he will be out for this one.
- John Stones – Has a hamstring injury and could be out for another 7 to 10-days, possibly more.
- Kalvin Phillips – Out until after the World Cup while he recovers from a shoulder injury / surgery.
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
Result? No complacency, of course - this is, after all, a Champions League fixture, which can often throw-up surprises.
However, the Danish side are not having a good season so far, domestically – they sit 6th in a table of 12 with 5 wins and 6 defeats from 11 games played. In our Champions League group it’s, P2: W0, D1, L1. F0 A3.
We do seem to be leaking more goals than I’m sure our manager would like (10 from 10-games played in all competitions) and with a possible change to our back-line tonight, they could ‘nick one’, I suppose. However, this is a City win for me and possibly another comprehensive one too.
Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result…
Prediction: N/A
Result: N/A
Expected weather conditions during the game: A long period of rain from Tuesday afternoon and right throughout Wednesday might just clear up in time for kick off; leaving the pitch “greasy”, as the footballing phrase goes, but largely dry for everyone concerned. There is a chance of the odd light drizzle during the match and it’s definitely chilly, at just 11C; with a strong breeze / gusty wind that won’t help with that already-cold feeling.
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| Solidarity |
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