Manchester City look to continue their imperious form in the Premier League as they host Sheffield United on Saturday. What kind of a team can we expect from City manager Pep Guardiola for this match? Let’s take a look.
City once again put on a dominant display in mid-week as they took care of West Bromwich Albion by beating them five goals to nil. They will be up against another team from the relegation zone this weekend, which should make them ever more confident of getting the win.
However, they will be without a few of their most important players for Saturday. One of them is midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who has an injured hamstring at the moment. Another is striker Sergio Aguero who is out after having tested positive for COVID.
Nathan Ake remains a doubt for the game as this clash could come sooner than his injury recovery.
City will not want to change much in a combination that is working wonders right now. Ederson will be in goal and there should be only one change in defence. Joao Cancelo, who was instrumental in getting the midweek win, will play as the left back.
Kyle Walker comes into the team and he will take his place as the right back. John Stones and Ruben Dias will be in the centre of defence. This combination has been a major part of the success that the team has enjoyed recently.
In the 4-3-3 that Guardiola will set up in, he has three midfielders who are capable of doing it all. This was evident last time around and we will see that same midfield trio again on Saturday. Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva combined to wreak havoc and will be looking to do so again vs Sheffield. They can create chances and score goals as well which makes them, overall, very dangerous.
What makes Manchester City an even stronger proposition to deal with is the quality in their forward group. They will play Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden. Sterling will be in the centre and even without a proper centre forward, they manage to create many chances and score plenty of goals. It will take a lot to prevent City from getting the three points.
Predicted Manchester City Starting XI Against Sheffield United (4-3-3):
Ederson, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden