Manchester City move from one domestic cup to another as they get ready to take on Birmingham City in the third-round of the FA Cup. Given what we outlined in the team news, will Pep Guardiola be making many changes to his lineup?
City had a high during the week as they beat Manchester United to advance to the finals of the EFL Cup. This is another cup competition for them to think about and the boss is likely to put out a team that has a lot of senior players.
The hosts do have some players missing out, but their squad is deep enough for them to find quality replacements. We can expect them to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Zack Steffen in goal. The return of Kyle Walker to the first team is good news and he will be partnered with Benjamin Mendy on the other flank.
There are decisions to be made in the centre back area and that will see Ruben Dias being given a rest. John Stones, who scored against United, will continue to start and we might see him alongside Nathan Ake.
In the centre of midfield, Guardiola will be going with what is becoming his preferred midfield duo. Both Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan have formed a brilliant partnership in the heart of the City midfield. They complement each other and the best part is that they can find a balance between their attacking and defensive responsibilities.
It will be Phil Foden in the Kevin De Bruyne role as he will look to be the central conductor, pulling the strings. The Englishman has been in great form and will look to stamp his authority on this game as well. He will have Riyad Mahrez and Oleksandr Zinchenko on either side of him providing some width and skill that will be useful in breaking down the Birmingham defence.
And finally, leading the line will be star striker Sergio Aguero who has had a stop-start campaign so far. He is someone who is always capable of producing the goods so Manchester City will be looking to him for goals.
They will hope that their forward is able to find some form as this would be a good game to do that. Despite the many changes to the team, City will be confident of getting the win here.
Manchester City Predicted Starting XI Against Birmingham City (4-2-3-1):
Zack Steffen, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Benjamin Mendy, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Sergio Aguero