Manchester City will be hosting Greek side Olympiakos in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, but they will be without some of their key playersm, adversely affecting their team selection.
City had a tough game against Sheffield United in the Premier League over the weekend, but thanks to a goal from Kyle Walker, they were able to come away with the three points. What changes will manager Pep Guardiola be making to the team?
Overall, the team news is still not too encouraging as City have quite a few injury problems. Players such as Gabriel Jesus, Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho and Benjamin Mendy are all still out injured. Centre back Nathan Ake is also a doubt for the Wednesday game.
City will want to continue the dominance of their Champions League group and are likely to put out a strong team. In their usual 4-3-3 formation, it will have Ederson in goal and the four in defence will be the same as Saturday’s quartet. The performances of both Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte have been very encouraging. They will continue starting, and they’ll be accompained by Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo.
As for the midfield, there could be one change in the form of Ilkay Gundogan coming into the place of Phil Foden.
The German offers more defensive protection when compared to the Englishman. He will be playing in a midfield three that will also have Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri.
The return of the Belgian was a big boost for the team as he is one of the team’s most influential players. He will be tasked with providing City with creativity and that cutting edge.
Due to the lack of striking options available to them, Manchester City have had to improvise a solution and they have done that via the inclusion of Ferran Torres, who has been playing as the central forward.
With him flanked by Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez, it gives City a lot of pace and skill to work with. They will be hoping that this trio will get them another win in the Champions League.
Predicted Manchester City Starting XI Against Olympiakos (4-3-3):
Ederson, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Joao Cancelo, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling