Erling Haaland has been left out of Manchester City’s matchday squad for tonight’s EFL Cup fourth-round tie against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.
Pep Guardiola revealed at his pre-match press conference that a late call would be made on the Norwegian striker’s availability after he sustained a knock following a nasty collision with the post in City’s 1-0 Premier League defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday.
Haaland, who also missed City’s EFL Cup third-round win at Huddersfield Town last month, has not travelled to South Wales with his Citizens teammates and Guardiola has made a total of 10 changes to the side that lost to Villa.
Jams Trafford returns in goal at the expense of Gianluigi Donnarumma, while Nathan Ake will wear the captain’s armband and will start at centre-back alongside Abdukodir Khusanov, who has recovered from injury after missing the last seven games in all competitions.
Rayan Ait-Nouri is also fit to start at left-back for the first time since the end of August and Rico Lewis is expected to operate at right-back, although he may also drift into midfield positions alongside Nico Gonzalez.
Oscar Bobb is the only Man City player to retain his place in the starting lineup from the weekend, while fellow academy graduate Divine Mukasa is handed his second senior start in an advanced midfield role after making his full debut in the third round.
Summer signing Rayan Cherki is set to play alongside Mukasa in behind central striker Omar Marmoush, while Jeremy Doku has been recalled to operate on the left flank.
Swansea City head coach Alan Sheehan on August 30, 2025
Vipotnik benched, Stamenic absent as Sheehan makes six changes to Swansea XI
As for Swansea, head coach Alan Sheehan has made a total of six changes to the side that began the 2-1 home victory over Norwich City in the Championship last weekend.
Top scorer Zan Vipotnik, who netted both goals against Norwich to increase his tally for the season to eight, has dropped out of the first XI along with Liam Cullen, Ji-Sung Eom, Lawrence Vigouroux, Marko Stamenic and Ben Cabango.
Adam Idah will therefore lead the line, while Melker Widell, Zeidane Inoussa, Andy Fisher, Ishe Samuels-Smith and Kaelan Casey have also been handed starts.
Cameron Burgess scored twice, including a dramatic 97th-minute winner, in Swansea’s 3-2 comeback win over Nottingham Forest in the third round and he retains his spot at centre-back, joining Casey, Samuels-Smith and Josh Key in defence.
Meanwhile, Stamenic is absent from the matchday squad following a family bereavement and his Swansea teammates will wear black armbands as a show of support for the midfielder and his family.
Swansea City starting lineup: Fisher; Key, Casey, Burgess, Samuels-Smith; Galbraith, Franco, Widell; Inoussa, Tymon; Idah
Subs: Farman, Fulton, Cabango, Vipotnik, Eom, Cullen, Benson, Santos, Ronald
Manchester City starting lineup: Trafford; Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, Ait-Nouri; Gonzalez; Bobb, Mukasa, Cherki, Doku; Marmoush
Subs: Bettinelli, Donnarumma, Stones, Gvardiol, Savinho, Nunes, O'Reilly, Phillips, Foden
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