With only two more World Cup fixtures left to play, focus is now firmly back on club football and to hold City fans over until Thursday’s titanic Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool, the Cityzen’s are facing Spanish outfit Girona, who the Premier League champions currently hold majority stakes in.
With Julian Alvarez being the sole City participant left in Qatar, questions arose whether key senior players such as Rodri, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva would feature. However, of the 15 players eliminated from Qatar only two- Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan will feature in the friendly, giving the youth a chance to impress boss Pep Guardiola before next weeks fourth round Carabao Cup tie.
An issue to mention is Guardiola’s defence, as all of his five central defenders, Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo are all ruled out of the game and will return to training on Monday. This gives the City manager a selection headache when it comes to his backline. Taking this into account, here’s how I think the team will line up at the Academy Stadium.
1.GK: Stefan Ortega Moreno
With first choice keeper Ederson still away after Brazil’s shock Quarter final exit, expect Moreno to start especially after his Man Of the Match performance against Chelsea last time out.
2. RB: Rico Lewis
After scoring his first senior goal for City in his last appearance against Sevilla and no Kyle Walker, expect Lewis to be given the start.
3. CB: Finley Burns
As mentioned prior, with no senior centre backs available expect Burns to start in defence with his only senior appearance coming in the Blues 6-1 against Wycombe Wanderers in last years Carabao Cup third round.
4. CB: Jadel Katongo
With no senior appearances yet for City, U21 defender Katongo should start alongside Burns as they partner each other already for Brian Barry-Murphy’s side.
Jadel Katongo in action at the Østerbro Stadion as the #MCFC EDS side lead FC Copenhagen 1-0 in the Youth @ChampionsLeague. ⚡️🔵#OneForTheFuture pic.twitter.com/Z7YokxuYvn
— TheMCFCView (@TheMCFCView__) October 11, 2022
5. LB: Sergio Gomez
After a few disappointing outings before the World Cup break, the Spanish native hopes to start the second half of the season strong and force his way into Guardiola’s starting XI.
6. CDM: Ilkay Gundogan
Expected to start in a slightly deeper role to accommodate the absence of Rodri, will be fired up after Germany’s shock group stage exit.
7. CM: Cole Palmer
City’s academy bright spark will find himself in a midfield three and should be given the license to roam freely and pick up spaces in the final third. I expect Palmer to be a decisive figure for City in this game.
8. CM: Kevin De Bruyne
After a subpar World Cup for Belgium and individually for City’s most prized possession, expect a motivated De Bruyne for the second half of the season. I expect the number 17 to get himself on the scoresheet.
9. RW: Riyad Mahrez
Following on from a average first half of the season, a fully rested Mahrez will be a key figure for City over the coming weeks and should look to cement his place back in the starting XI.
10. ST: Erling Haaland
After a foot injury that disrupted City’s talisman throughout October and November, a fully fit and rested Haaland is a scary sight for the rest of Europe. Expect a handful of goals from the Norwegian.
11. LW: Carlos Borges
A name City fans will know a lot more about as time progresses, has put in dazzling displays for the U21 side this season, most notably against Manchester United’s U21s as he bagged himself 4 goals.
[📸] Carlos Borges in #ManCity first-team training! 🤩🔵 pic.twitter.com/7fajyvamag
— City Zone (@City_Zone_) December 8, 2022
Girona Predicted XI: Gazzaniga, Couto, Martinez, Bueno, Gutierrez, Romeu, Garcia, Terrats, Vallejo, Stuani, Martin
Prediction: Manchester City 4- Girona 1
Haaland (2), De Bruyne (1), Palmer (1)/ Stuani (1)