Manchester City’s Champions League campaign continues at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night as Czech champions Sparta Prague come to town.
These two sides surprisingly enter the contest each with four points in the league phase table and Sparta will aim to offer City more of a game than Slovan Bratislava did before the October international break.
Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens were just about victorious at Wolves on Sunday thanks to John Stones’ last-gasp winner and Wednesday’s game does present the boss with a handy opportunity to rest and rotate after their weekend’s travails.
Here’s the team the City manager could pick for Sparta’s visit on Matchday 3 of the league phase.
Man City predicted lineup vs Sparta Prague (4-2-3-1)
GK: Stefan Ortega – There should be a chance for Ortega on Wednesday night with Ederson’s back-up starting on Matchday 2 against Slovan Bratislava. He’s rarely let the Cityzens down.
RB: Rico Lewis – With Kyle Walker out of action for a little while, Lewis should enjoy a run in the team as he aims to retain his place in the England squad for their November fixtures.
CB: Manuel Akanji – Akanji has been close to a mainstay over the past 12 months but was an unused substitute at the weekend. With Guardiola rotating, the Swiss defender should come back into the team.
CB: Ruben Dias – John Stones was the hero at Molineux, but caution is needed with the England international. An injury setback is never too far away and he could be preserved for Saturday’s Premier League outing.
LB: Nathan Ake – Josko Gvardiol is a freak of nature and a crucial figure in this City team. This could be a good chance for Pep to offer the Croat some respite with Ake returning to the matchday squad on Sunday.
CM: Matheus Nunes – Mateo Kovacic struggled at the weekend and could sit out of this one. Nunes has surely got a role to play in Rodri’s absence, so it’s time for Guardiola to hand him a start.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – Gundogan may be getting on in age, but he’s still a player who can be relied upon for regular starts in a demanding season. The German will hope he doesn’t have to exert himself too much against Sparta.
RW: Bernardo Silva – The do-it-all playmaker is no longer the ideal option for Guardiola in the middle of the park with Rodri’s absence exacerbating Bernardo’s physical flaws. He’s better suited to a wide role for the time being.
AM: Phil Foden – Foden’s season is going to kick into gear soon, right? It’s been a muted start for the Englishman in 2024/25 after he inspired City to the title last season, but he will be in the XI on Wednesday having appeared off the bench at Wolves.
LW: Jack Grealish – He’s not your output man, but Grealish has been injury-free and Guardiola appreciates his ability to retain possession in the final third and create space one-v-one. He’ll come in for Jeremy Doku down the left.
ST: Erling Haaland – There’s no obvious alternative to Haaland, but there will come a time when the striker needs a rest. However, given his recent drought and the chances that should arrive in the Sparta box on Wednesday, Guardiola should retain Haaland in the XI.
