Ahead of Wednesday evening’s EFL Cup clash with Chelsea, Pep Guardiola is likely to ring the changes from Saturday’s 2-1 win over Fulham. Vital Man City have already predicted that Stefan Ortega could replace Ederson Sergio Gomez could replace the suspended Joao Cancelo and Rico Lewis could replace John Stones, but could Ruben Dias come in for Manuel Akanji?
Man City v Chelsea: What will the outcome be?
Man City to win
Chelsea to win
Manchester City have won the EFL Cup four times in the last five seasons, so they won’t overhaul the team so much that throw the game. But Pep could give a number of out-of-favour players a run out to boost their morale and development. It also prevents burnout after City played on Saturday.
Dias has been a regular in all competitions until recently, starting 9/13 Premier League games and 4/5 Champions League outings. He’s been dropped in City’s last two Premier League outings for Akanji but could return so the 27-year-old can be rested for Saturday’s clash with Brentford.
Dias is a £65m defender who would walk into most teams, but he’s having to be patient for opportunities.
Though the 25-year-old boasts more interceptions and clearances while being dribbled past less than Akanji, Pep still prefers the latter.
So if Dias gets the nod against Chelsea on Wednesday night, the best way to make a statement is by putting in a good performance at the Etihad.
In other news, Man City v Chelsea match preview
The Vital Network is unique from other football content providers as all the sites are run by the fans, for the fans. We are looking for a writer to join our Manchester City site. If you can write well-constructed, thought-provoking opinion pieces alongside reporting on current events and breaking news then I want to hear from you. Email paddy@snack-media.com.