Manchester City hosts Bayern Munich at the Etihad Stadium for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash on Tuesday, April 11. Last Word on Sports tries to put together the Manchester City Predicted Lineup as they hope to make use of home advantage and get a big win over the German giants.
Manchester City Predicted Lineup vs Bayern Munich
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— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 9, 2023
How Manchester City Have Lined-up Recently
Pep Guardiola has a reputation for often tinkering with his team, but he appears to have found his best XI for the final stretch of the season. Their star summer signing Erling Haaland is, obviously, tipped to start all the remaining important games and also get a lot of support around him.
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Kevin De Bruyne remains City’s creator-in-chief, while Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez have transitioned into their new roles well. The backline now consists of Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake – but it’d be logical if John Stones was removed for a more attack-minded player in Bernardo Silva – who was praised for being ‘f****** intuitive’ by Guardiola earlier this season.
Manchester City Recent Form and Tactics
The Citizens have been in amazing form over the last few weeks, having won their last five games in dominant fashion as well as scoring 14 goals in their last three matches. They’re also unbeaten in the Champions League this season, having scored seven goals against RB Leipzig in their previous European clash.
Guardiola has done a pretty good job in changing up his tactics for his side in the second half of the campaign. That involves playing them in 3-2-4-1 formation which adds a nice balance in enough attacking firepower as well as defensive cover. This also allows players like Rodri and even wingers Grealish and Mahrez having to work hard in tracking back to help their side.
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The Citizens play a possession-heavy playing style which involves patient, long build-up plays for moves. The ultimate goal is to play it to Haaland in the final third and allow him to put his insane finishing ability to the test.
Manchester City Key Players
Haaland is, of course, City’s biggest threat right now. He can score goals from any area in the final third, with his smart off-the-ball movement making him a menacing figure. Moreover, De Bruyne can be a nightmare if given too much space to operate too. His incredible final third passes are too tough to keep out and Bayern need to work hard to keep him quiet.
Grealish and Mahrez are both in impressive form too. They’ll just look to get into promising areas in the final third, but the two will need to use their clinical finishing as well as crosses to set things up. City need to be defensively aware against an unpredictable Bayern attack which involves Sadio Mane – who joined Bayern last summer. They will need Dias to be a commanding figure at the back, using his razor-sharp game-reading ability to cut out chances and maintain a sturdy backline.
Manchester City Injuries to Consider
For the Citizens, Phil Foden remains the only doubt as he is still recovering from a hernia operation.
Manchester City Predicted Lineup
Ederson, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Riyad Mahrez, Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland
