Manchester City will kickstart their 2018/19 Champions League campaign on Wednesday when they host Olympique Lyonnais at the Etihad Stadium.
The Sky Blues have had a great start to their domestic campaign, which has been largely overshadowed by Liverpool and Chelsea’s excellent form. But, head coach Pep Guardiola will be confident of their chances against Lyon, having registered a comfortable win against Fulham last weekend.
As for Lyon, the French giants have already tasted a couple of defeats in their domestic campaign. They have also failed to win any one of their last two matches, notably playing out a disappointing draw against SM Caen in the last game.
Manchester City Team news
Manchester City superstar Sergio Aguero is likely to miss out on this clash, having suffered a knock in the game against Fulham. Though he trained with the squad, Guardiola might give him a breather considering he does have Jesus up the sleeve. Benjamin Mendy also took a knock and will not make the squad.
Other absentees include Kevin de Bruyne, Claudio Bravo and Eliaquim Mangala, all of whom are sidelined with long-term injury along with Danilo, who is unexpected to feature in this clash.
Predicted Manchester City Lineup
Defence
Ederson Moraes has been in great form in this early parts of the season and will be looking to maintain that form in the Champions League.
Guardiola is likely to stick to the same four-man backline he used against Fulham last week. Thus, Vincent Kompany will be tasked with the responsibility of stopping the Lyon attackers along with Aymeric Laporte in central defence.
Things could get messy in the wider defensive positions, however. And with the likes of Benjamin Mendy and Danilo out injured, we could see Fabian Delph retain his place in the left-back position.
The English international featured as a left-back against Fulham last week and it will be interesting to see how he fares this time out. Kyle Walker will keep his place on the opposite flank.
Midfield
While the defence might remain unchanged, we could expect Guardiola to make one or two changes in his midfield setup this week. Bernardo Silva, in particular, could be rested in place of Ilkay Gundogan.
The former Dortmund star has looked promising at times this season and a strong display against Lyon could certainly lift his confidence. David Silva, as usual, will partner Gundogan in central midfield with Fernandinho being deployed as the defensive midfielder.
Attack
Gabriel Jesus will be the man to replace Sergio Aguero in attack. The Brazilian didn’t have many opportunities to prove his credentials this season, largely thanks to Aguero’s form. But, he will be eager to put in a strong performance against the French outfit this week.
He will be partnered by the wide-duo of Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane, with Riyad Mahrez expected to play a key role in the second half.
