Manchester City begin their EFL Cup campaign on Wednesday evening when they host Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.
The Sky Blues continued their solid form in the Premier League on Saturday with a 2-1 home win against Fulham thanks to goals from Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland. The result at the weekend saw them make it three league wins on the bounce.
Now, Pep Guardiola’s side turn their focus to the EFL Cup, aiming to go all the way this time around after last year’s disappointing fourth-round exit in the competition.
Manchester City Team News
Joao Cancelo received a straight red card during Manchester City’s clash with Fulham in the Premier League and will serve his one-game suspension in the upcoming EFL Cup fixture against Chelsea.
After missing the last couple of games with injury, Erling Haaland made his return to the City bench and subsequently came off it to score a stoppage-time winning penalty against Fulham.
Kalvin Phillips (shoulder) and Kyle Walker (groin), however, remain sidelined for City.
Predicted Man City Lineup vs Chelsea (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Pep Guardiola is expected to shuffle his pack on Wednesday and hand some of the fringe players an opportunity to impress in the domestic cup competition. A change in goal is expected against Chelsea, with Stefan Ortega replacing Ederson in the Man City lineup.
Defence
Rico Lewis was excellent last week against Sevilla in the Champions League, scoring on his first European start to help his team win 3-1. He is expected to be handed a start at right-back in the Man City lineup, with Sergio Gomez operating from the other side of the defence.
Ruben Dias should partner Aymeric Laporte in central defence, as the duo look to keep Graham Potter’s side at bay.
Midfield
Up ahead in midfield, rotation is expected as well with young Cole Palmer likely to get a start in the Man City lineup. Palmer might join Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden in Man City’s engine room.
Gundogan will sit at the base of the midfield and try to dictate the tempo of the game. Foden, who came off the bench against Fulham at the weekend, should start on the left of City’s midfield trio.
Rodri, Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva could be brought off the bench in the second half if required.
Attack
Julian Alvarez made a strong case for another start by scoring an excellent goal against Fulham. The young Argentinean can be expected to lead the City attack, with Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez offering pace, creativity and flair from wide areas in the Man City lineup to cause problems for Chelsea’s leaky backline.
Fit-again Erling Haaland should start again on the bench for Pep Guardiola’s side.