Manchester City will be looking to bounce back immediately after losing ground on league leaders Chelsea at the weekend after their shock loss to Crystal Palace. They face a side they really should have no trouble with defeating in Club Brugge. The Manchester Derby looms large over selection here, however, and we might just see some shuffling of the deck from Pep Guardiola.
Three points in this one will go a long way toward securing qualification to the knockout stage in the UEFA Champions League. Anything less than three points would heap the pressure on the Citizens in this competition with a tricky tie against PSG still to come.
Manchester City vs Malmo FF FYIs:
Kick-off time: 9 PM GMT, 3 November Wednesday
Manchester City Team News: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Man City (WWWLL) Club Brugge (WLDWW)
With that in mind let’s take a look at how the reigning Premier League champions might lineup for this one.
At goalkeeper I expect Brazilian Ederson to be selected. He is one of the best – of not the best – goalkeepers in the world right now. Given that City has already dropped points – I think the chances of seeing Zack Steffen getting a run in this year’s Champions League are slim to none.
In defense, I think that Aymeric Laporte will play considering he won’t play in the Premier League at the weekend due to the red card he received versus Crystal Palace.
His partner will likely be different, with Ruben Dias rested and John Stones getting a run alongside Laporte.
In the full-back positions, I expect Cancelo to switch to the right-hand side to accommodate a start for Ukraine national team captain Oleksandr Zinchenko at left full-back.
In the midfield, I am predicting we will see Ilkay Gundogan get a start with Kevin De Bruyne getting a rest ahead of the Manchester Derby at the weekend. Rodri will slot into his regular role a the slightly defensive-minded midfielder and Bernardo Silva will play alongside them.
In attack, I expect to see Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez playing either side of Phil Foden. If City gets a couple of goals early though, don’t expect Foden to pay the entire 90 minutes. Cole Palmer might just get a decent amount of minutes if the match plays out this way.
The youngster will be keen to play some part after scoring against Club Brugge in Belgium.
It would be a shock if anything other than a Manchester City win is the result of this one. I am expecting them to win comfortably and avoid losing three matches in all competitions in a row.