City return to action tonight in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup against Southampton at Saint Mary’s. With the Manchester derby looming on Saturday afternoon and the possibility of closing the gap to leaders Arsenal to just two points before Mikel Arteta’s side travel to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium to face city rivals Tottenham, it will be fascinating to see how Pep Guardiola approaches the fixture and what team he selects. Due to the rotation we saw against Chelsea in the FA Cup last Sunday, I expect Guardiola to go fairly strong. However, you can never be truly sure when it comes to the City manager and his team selections.
Here is my predicted XI I think will start tonight’s match:
GK: Stefan Ortega
City’s designated cup goalkeeper has been impressive when given the opportunity this season. The German’s distribution is consistently solid however Ortega’s shot-stopping capabilities are where the former Arminia Bielefeld goalkeeper truly shines. Despite making appearances against Chelsea twice and Liverpool, Ortega hasn’t looked out of place and I expect another solid performance tonight.
RB: Rico Lewis
The breakout star of City’s season, I believe Lewis will return to the starting XI as Guardiola will have one eye on the Manchester derby and with United winger Marcus Rashford in such electric form as of late, Guardiola will entrust Kyle Walker to limit the England international from hurting City. Lewis will most likely invert into midfield once more and occupy central areas alongside Kalvin Philips and look to break lines with intricate passes and start City’s attacks off. Expecting another mature performance from the 18-year-old.
CB: John Stones
A contender for City’s Player of the Season, Stones has been in colossal form. The Englishman was rested for City’s FA Cup victory on Sunday so Stones should be primed to put in another stellar performance for the Blues.
CB: Manuel Akanji
Akanji was superb on Sunday against Chelsea and deserves to keep his place. Paired with Stones, the partnership oozes class when in possession and is mobile enough to prevent any counter-attacks.
LB: Nathan Ake
With Rico Lewis being deployed on the right-hand side, the inclusion of Ake brings defensive stability to the side as the Dutchman doesn’t venture forward very often. When Lewis inevitably inverts in midfield, Ake becomes an auxiliary left-sided centre-back and helps City to dominate the ball. I expect Ake to carry on the great form that he’s displayed so far this season.
CDM: Kalvin Philips
Philips’s inclusion in the XI is guaranteed after Guardiola declared the former Leeds man would be starting the fixture. This is Philips’ biggest moment in his short City career thus far, and if the Yorkshireman can impress, perhaps City’s number four will have a key role to play in the second half of the season as fixture pile-up will prevent Guardiola from playing Rodri every game, so Philips will be needed.
CM: Bernardo Silva
I keep crying out for Bernardo to up his attacking output and decisive actions in the final third, however, that isn’t the only reason I have included the Portuguese star in my starting XI. For a player whose inclusion will be revealed in my prediction later, Bernardo is the perfect puzzle piece to accommodate the forward, as Silva can drift and pick up pockets of space on the right-hand side and allow the forward to drift centrally and play of talisman Erling Haaland. A massive night for Bernardo as he stakes his claim to start the Manchester derby.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan
I believe City are strong enough to beat Southampton without Kevin De Bruyne, and I feel a fully rested, hungry De Bruyne could spell danger for United. Gundogan offers a goal threat and a wide array of passing that makes him one of the top midfielders in Europe. I have a feeling the German will find himself on the scoresheet as he looks to also stake his place to start alongside the Belgian maestro at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
RW: Julian Alvarez
The player I hinted at when explaining my Bernardo inclusion, I feel Alvarez can cause major problems for most sides when deployed on the right side, as he won’t hug the touchline and be a traditional winger like Riyad Mahrez for example, however, Alvarez will drift inside and occupy central areas behind and around Haaland and also free up space for others. If Alvarez starts alongside Haaland tonight, I expect goals, a lot of goals. Perhaps wishful thinking, it is something I and certainly other City fans would love to see.
ST: Erling Haaland
City’s talisman finds himself on his joint biggest goal-drought in the sky blue of Manchester. A mere one game. Truly ludicrous statistics. However, I do not think Haaland’s drought will stretch to a second game as Southampton’s shaky defence and City’s array of attacking options will give the Norwegian ample opportunities to strike.
LW: Jack Grealish
Also rested against Chelsea in the FA Cup win, Grealish looks like a guaranteed starter for Saturday’s derby after three assists in his last three outings. Given his last performance off the bench against Chelsea in the league fixture at Stamford Bridge, I hope to see the former Villa man brimming with confidence and playing with a swagger that earnt him his move to the Etihad. Carrying the ball with purpose and committing defenders and skipping past them is something I want to see Grealish do tonight, as a lot of times his decision-making is incorrect and his willingness to play the safe pass and recycle possession isn’t acceptable every time he receives the ball. Hoping for another strong showing tonight from Grealish as he looks to build form.
Substitutes:
Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Cancelo, Gomez, De Bruyne, Palmer, Foden, Mahrez
Prediction:
Southampton 0-4 Manchester City
Haaland (2), Alvarez (1), Gundogan (1)