Manchester City continue their UEFA Champions League campaign when they take on Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night. Given the latest team news, what kind of changes will Pep Guardiola be making to his squad?
City continued their good form as they beat Leicester City 2-0 to continue their charge towards the Premier League title. This was an important win as they beat a top four contending side and it will provide a good tune up for what they will see when they face Dortmund.
However, beating the German side will be a completely different challenge, given the quality they have in their ranks. The likes of Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland will be tough to keep quiet, so this match promises to be a real test of what City can do.
Pep Guardiola will continue to have his team play in a 4-3-3 formation with Ederson in goal. There are likely to be two changes made to the defence: Benjamin Mendy and Aymeric Laporte will drop to the bench.
Joao Cancelo will come in as the left back and Kyle Walker will be starting on the right. As for the centre backs, it will be the combination of John Stones and Ruben Dias that will take to the field.
The only change that will happen in the midfield is going to be the return of Ilkay Gundogan. He will come in for Fernandinho and will form a trio along with Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne.
This game will be special for the German in particular as he will be coming up against his former team. And given the way the midfielder has been playing this year, he will certainly have a say in the outcome on Tuesday. De Bruyne will be looking at ways to break down the defence of the visitors, as this match should be decided in midfield.
Manchester City will have to decide between Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus for the role of the striker. It will most likely be the Brazilian who gets the nod. He will have Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden on either side of him. Despite the talent that the visitors possess, we can expect City to win and take a lead in the first leg.
Predicted Manchester City Starting XI Against Borussia Dortmund (4-3-3):
Ederson, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling