Manchester City will have an opportunity to keep their ambitious quadruple hopes alive when they square up to Chelsea in the final of the Carabao Cup tomorrow.
Pep Guardiola has made sure he takes all the competitions seriously and has been rewarded with arguably some kind draws along the way. But it is time now to take advantage of the position they are in and win another piece of silverware.
MANCHESTER CITY TEAM NEWS
Pep Guardiola refused to divulge much on the injury front. Benjamin Mendy, John Stones and Gabriel Jesus are nursing injuries and will be assessed late on.
Claudio Bravo is a long-term absentee while Eliaquim Mangala is also not ready to feature.
PREDICTED MANCHESTER CITY LINEUP VS CHELSEA (4-3-3)
DEFENCE
Pep has to take a massive call in the goalkeeping department. There will be the obvious temptation to select the strongest team and play Ederson but with Muric impressing till this point, we are going with the 20-year-old Kosovan international.
We expect a strong defensive wall which will see Kyle Walker at right-back. The English international has been decent in recent weeks after a sharp decline in form at the end of last year.
Vincent Kompany came on as a substitute after Nicolas Otamendi’s sending off against Schalke and is likely to start alongside the ever-present Aymeric Laporte. John Stones and Otamendi seem to have a better chance of featuring against West Ham United on Wednesday.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has played all 5 games in this competition leading up to the final and should be handed a start on the left. His impressive recent form will also make things easier for Pep.
MIDFIELD
Fernandinho will start at the base of the midfield. The Brazilian has been his usual reliable self and will be tasked with protecting the backline and launching attacks for City.
David Silva might have to settle for a place on the bench this time around with Pep likely to use his defence unlocking skills if needed later on in the game.
Ilkay Gundogan’s form is likely to be rewarded with another start while Kevin de Bruyne is likely to complete the midfield trio. The Belgian hasn’t quite hit the heights of last season yet but Pep will look to him to make a difference tomorrow.
ATTACK
Raheem Sterling is undroppable with the form he is in and is likely to start on the left with Bernardo Silva expected to line up on the right.
Sergio Aguero should be leading the attack and will look to get on the scoresheet once again, less than 15 days after scoring a hattrick against the same opponents.
