Manchester City expert names the super strong team he expects Pep Guardiola to start against West Ham United in tonight’s Carabao Cup clash.
West Ham’s reward for beating Manchester United in the third round of the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford was the daunting task of taking on the competition’s kings – Man City.
The Blues have won the cup four years in a row so David Moyes and his high-flying Hammers are up against it at a sell-out 60,000 London Stadium.
Both Moyes and Guardiola look set to make sweeping changes to their starting line-ups for the game.
Moyes has been very careful with his team selection as he juggles West Ham’s Premier League, Europa League and Carabao Cup fixtures.
And so far the Scot has managed the situation masterfully.
While Guardiola takes this competition very seriously – as clearly evidenced by the club’s record in it under him – he admitted some of his young players would get a chance against West Ham.
And Guardiola will make changes too when he names his Man City side for the clash but could still field a super strong team.
Man City expert names super strong team he expects Guardiola to start against West Ham in cup clash
That’s according to Simon Bajkowski, the senior Manchester City writer at The Manchester Evening News.
“With Ferran Torres the only player definitely ruled out of Wednesday’s game, Guardiola will – as he often does – use this competition to give minutes to players struggling to get starts in Premier League and Champions League games,” Bajkowski writes on MEN.
“That opens the door for John Stones and Nathan Ake, who have been unable to dislodge Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias at centre-back this season but are valued members of the squad. Zack Steffen will also continue in goal as he has done in domestic cup competitions since last year.”
Bajkowski goes on to predict Aleks Zinchenko, one of Joao Cancelo or Kyle Walker, Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus and Cole Palmer could all start for Man City against the Hammers for various reasons.
Simon Bajkowski’s predicted Man City starting XI to face West Ham?:
Steffen, Walker/Cancelo, Stones, Ake, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, de Bruyne, Gundogan, Palmer, Mahrez, Jesus.
That just shows the immense quality and depth Man City have and why they have owned this competition in recent years.
Guardiola sees it as a trophy City can get won early doors in the season.
Let’s hope West Ham put an end to that tonight.
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