Manchester City kick off their season officially with the traditional curtain raiser, the Community Shield. They’ll take on FA Cup winners Leicester City, so they will have a real challenge on their hands here. What kind of team will Pep Guardiola pick?
Amid pandemic protocols and travel concerns, City have not opted for a big pre-season tour. Instead they have preferred to get their preparation going at home. The good news is that they managed to win all three of their friendly matches and have looked extremely comfortable in doing so.
Despite some of the senior members being unavailable, the defending Premier League champions should be able to put out a strong team.
Leicester City vs Manchester City FYIs
Kick-off: 5:15 PM GMT, 7 August Saturday
Manchester City Team News: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Leicester City (WLLDW) Manchester City (WLWWW)
With Ederson having an extended holiday, it gives Zack Steffen a chance to start in goal. Pep Guardiola is highly likely to continue with a 4-3-3 formation that will have Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake as the centre backs.
As for the full-backs, the combination we will see is Joao Cancelo on the right and Benjamin Mendy on the left.
In the middle, it is where things get a little tricky as some of the midfield players are not as fresh as the others. This would require veteran midfielder Fernandinho to start and along with him, the other two would likely be Ilkay Gundogan and youngster Cole Palmer.
The German was the club’s top scorer last season and will be a goal scoring threat against the Foxes.
Up front, City will go with a false nine which seemed to work very well for them last season. Bernardo Silva will start in the middle and he will have Riyad Mahrez on the right wing, with Samuel Edozie on the left. Though this is not the strongest attack the Manchester side can put out, there is still a lot of talent present in it.
After a fantastic campaign that ended in disappointment due to the Champions League defeat, Manchester City will want to start on the right note. They have enough firepower to overcome Leicester and it will be a surprise if they fail to emerge victorious.
Predicted Manchester City Starting XI vs Leicester City (4-3-3):
Zack Steffen, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Benjamin Mendy, Fernandinho, Cole Palmer, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, Samuel Edozie