Manchester City are looking to extend their perfect start to the Champions League campaign.
Coming off the back of a 6-3 annihilation of Manchester United, Manchester City could not be better prepared to face FC Copenhagen on Wednesday night.
Erling Haaland and Phil Foden stole the show, as a pair of boyhood City fans scored hat-tricks in the 188th Manchester Derby.
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With two wins out of two games in Group G of the Champions League, Pep Guardiola’s side will have their sights set on maintaining their flawless start in the competition.
As for Copenhagen, things have not gone as planned domestically, as they sit in sixth place in the Danish Superliga.
In Europe as well, the minnows have one draw and one defeat in their last two matches.
On paper, the contest looks like a mismatch to put it modestly, as we assess how Manchester City could line up for the clash.
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With City looking to win their third group game in the Champions League, there is no question that Ederson will keep his place in the side.
As Kyle Walker succumbed to yet another injury in the Manchester Derby, Joao Cancelo is expected to play right-back on Wednesday.
After a stellar display against Manchester United, Manuel Akanji seems like a safe bet to start against Copenhagen.
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The same applies for Nathan Ake, who was solid at the back in an unexpected start on Sunday afternoon.
Coming on in the second-half against United, Sergio Gomez grabbed an assist in an impressive outing and could be in line for his second start in the Champions League.
Ultimately, Rodri’s degree of involvement depends on whether he has fully recovered from his latest calf injury, which is why Pep Guardiola may rather take no risks and play Ilkay Gundogan as the sitting midfielder once again.
After an outstanding performance in the middle of the park against Erik ten Hag’s men, it is hard to look past Bernardo Silva as the Sky Blues’ go-to number eight in midweek.
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Coming off the back of registering two assists on derby day, there is no question that Kevin De Bruyne starts from the off.
Similarly, Phil Foden is set to retain his place as the right winger, after scoring his first-ever hat-trick for his boyhood club on the weekend.
While a similar principle should apply in Erling Haaland’s case, a much-awaited start for Julian Alvarez could be in store.
A scintillating showing from Jack Grealish at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday makes him a guaranteed starter against the Danish side.
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Predicted Team: Ederson; Joao Cancelo, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Sergio Gomez; Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne; Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, Jack Grealish.
Substitutes: Stefan Ortega Moreno, Scott Carson, Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Joshua Wilson-Esbrand, Rodri, Alexander Robertson, Cole Palmer, Riyad Mahrez, Ben Knight, Erling Haaland.
Topics: Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, Champions League, Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland
Srinivas Sadhanand