The Manchester City lineup for this upcoming clash with Chelsea in the EFL Cup is tough to predict. Round three of the EFL Cup is usually a prime spot for rotation but The Citizens find themselves up against a very formidable opponent this time around.
Manchester City Lineup Prediction for Cup Tie With Inconsistent Chelsea
Pep Guardiola on Man City plans for Januaru window: “We are not going to sign anyone in January. We have the squad”. 🔵 #MCFC
Man City decided to proceed with Akanji deal in the final days of the summer window as perfect last opportunity for this season plans. pic.twitter.com/NWBhE1fsSm
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 8, 2022
How Manchester City Have Lined-Up Recently
Changes to the lineup aren’t very common with names like Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Aymeric Laporte, Jack Grealish, and Erling Haaland basically guaranteed to be in the starting lineup.
Read More: ‘Really Insane’ Erling Haaland Keeps Impressing in the Premier League
Whether that remains true for this cup tie remains to be seen as Pep Guardiola’s focus is no doubt on the title race with Arsenal.
Manchester City Recent Form and Tactics
Old reliable 4-3-3 has been the formation of choice for most recent games. There was a brief switch to a 4-4-2 but more often than not Guardiola resorts to a formation that he has utilised to great success in his career.
Read More: Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal: Premier League Contenders or Manchester City Pretenders?
The Premier League title challengers have a mostly spotless record in recent games, one loss to Liverpool aside. Things are looking up for the blue side of Manchester in this campaign.
Manchester City Injuries to Consider
The right-back spot is proving to be a problem area for the club going into this tie with The Blues. Joao Cancelo is suspended for this match, while Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips are not fit to play.
Manchester City Lineup Predictions
We predict that the 4-3-3 will be the formation of choice once again with some light rotation:
GK – Stefan Ortega
LB – Sergio Gomez
CB – Aymeric Laporte
CB – Ruben Dias
RB – Rico Lewis
CM – Phil Foden
CM – Rodri
CM – Cole Palmer
AT – Riyad Mahrez
AT – Julian Alvarez
AT – Jack Grealish
Current Odds: Manchester City vs Chelsea
SkyBet unsurprisingly has the home side as the favourites to win and advance to the next round. At 4/9 odds the betting market is almost guaranteeing a win over Graham Potter’s charges.