City enter the second leg of the Manchester derby with all of the advantages going for them. Most importantly, they’re up 3-1 on United in the score sheet on aggregate, but they also have a much healthier squad. City manager Pep Guardiola was able to rest a lot of his major players against Fulham in the FA Cup yesterday, so he’ll have no real selection issues here.
Of course, the last Manchester derby at the Etihad ended with a win by the visitors, so the hosts will not take this lightly. Interesting state- Kevin De Bruyne, world class top notch midfielder that he is, has yet to record an assist against United, despite facing them eight times.
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction vs Manchester United EFL Cup semifinal Leg 2/2
B. Silva Aguero Sterling
Gundogan De Bruyne Rodri
Walker Garcia Fernandinho Mendy
Bravo
Manchester Derby EFL Cup semifinal leg 2/2 (City leads 3-1 on aggregate) FYIs
Kickoff: Jan. 29, 7:45 pm, City of Manchester Stadium
Team news for both sides: go to this link
Starting XI Predictions: United
TV: Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football
Key facts/stats: Anthony Martial loves the League Cup, as he featured in the competition a dozen times and scored five goals.
Prediction: Manchester City 1, Manchester United 0
Without Pogba and Rashford, the gap between neighbors is even more significant. City will likely coast, and still get through without too much resistance
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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