Manchester City have another game ahead of them in what has been a very busy season for the club so far.
Following on from three Premier League games in a row, City now turn their attention back to European action with a Champions League clash with Juventus.
Looking ahead to this clash, let’s take a glance at what City’s starting XI could look like and what changes Pep Guardiola could make from the side he picked that drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace last weekend.
Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, conducts a warm up during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 training and press conferen...
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Predicted Man City line-up vs Juventus
While Stefan Ortega has been in goal for City’s three previous matches, a return to Champions League action could see Ederson recalled to see if he can put in a display that would warrant him a place in the team for Sunday’s big Premier League match against Manchester United.
For the defence, City will still be without Nathan Ake, John Stones and Manuel Akanji for their midweek battle in Turin.
Therefore, this could result in Guardiola turning to Jahmai Simpson-Pusey to feature at centre-back, as he did for City’s previous Champions League away match against Sporting CP.
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The youngster could be put in next to Ruben Dias with Josko Gvardiol at left-back and Rico Lewis on the right, giving Kyle Walker a rest ahead of the Manchester derby at the weekend.
Moving into the midfield, Guardiola said Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic will not likely feature against Thiago Motta’s side, despite the duo returning to training recently following spells on the sidelines.
With that in mind, City’s midfield will likely contain Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne.
For the final midfield spot, Jack Grealish could make a return to the XI after being rested against Palace.
Having played in a deeper midfield position against Nottingham Forest, Grealish was praised by Guardiola for his efforts.
On the left-wing, having delivered more assists (3) than any other player in the City squad across their five Champions League matches this season, Matheus Nunes could feature again after also delivering an assist against Palace.
Then on the right, rather than sticking with Savinho, Guardiola has the chance to recall Jeremy Doku after he – like Grealish – was rested against Palace after a star performance in the 3-0 win over Forest.
In fact, the £55m winger scored the Manchester club’s third goal of the night to give them their first win since October.
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