Manchester City continue their journey in the FA Cup as they will be away to Cheltenham Town on Saturday for a 4th round clash. After their midweek win in the Premier League, can we expect to see many changes to the team for this game?
City further strengthened their bid for the Premier League title in midweek, with another win over Aston Villa. They now will have to focus on the domestic cup where they will be facing a team from a much lower tier. Despite this disparity, it still promises to be a tough fixture for the visitors.
There are a couple of injury problems that City will have to deal with here. Both Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne are a doubt for this game as they had to be substituted during the Villa win. One player who definitely won’t be playing any part on Saturday will be Sergio Aguero, who has tested positive for COVID.
Pep Guardiola is likely to send out his team in a 4-3-3 formation, as it gives them a bit more in the attacking third. In goal, it will be a rest for Ederson, with the American Zack Steffen replacing him.
Walker’s injury means that Joao Cancelo will play as the right back with Benjamin Mendy lining up on the opposite flank. Eric Garcia, who was on the bench against Villa, will be given a chance to start.
It will be Ruben Dias who will partner him, providing some calmness in the centre of defence.
Bernardo Silva who played and scored against Villa will be back in midfield for this one. He will be tasked with providing creativity in the absence of De Bruyne. Along with him in midfield it will be Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan. With their experience and skill, they will be looking to open up the Cheltenham defence at any given opportunity.
Phil Foden, who started the midweek game, will drop to the bench along with Raheem Sterling. It will be Gabriel Jesus leading the line for Manchester City. On the wings it will be Riyad Mahrez and Ferran Torres. The one thing City must ensure is that they do not get complacent regarding their opponents. If they can focus on their own game, they are surely going to progress to the next round.
Predicted Manchester City Starting XI Against Cheltenham (4-3-3):
Zack Steffen, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Eric Garcia, Benjamin Mendy, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres