Manchester City will travel to the Metalist Stadium to face off against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday night hoping to earn a win in the first match of their UEFA Champions League campaign. The Citizens will come into this clash at the back of dismal 3-2 away loss against Norwich City last weekend. However, getting a positive result away at Kharkiv won’t be easy as Shakhtar can be a dangerous side on their day.
Pep Guardiola will likely opt for a 4-3-3 formation and might bring back Riyad Mahrez and Fernandinho to his starting XI for this European encounter in midweek.
4-3-3 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Shakhtar Donetsk
Defence
Ederson will operate in goal for Man City despite letting in three goals against the Canaries last weekend. Guardiola might opt to replace Nicolas Otamendi with Fernandinho after the Argentine centre-back’s nightmare display versus Norwich on Saturday evening. It is expected that John Stones will line up alongside Fernandinho at the heart of the Citizens defence.
Kyle Walker will try to cause a few problems for the Valencia defenders going forward as the right-back. Oleksandr Zinchenko will play on the other side in the left-back position. Joao Cancelo will be a part of Guardiola’s bench and might get a chance to feature in this match if needed.
The Man City defence has looked shaky in the absence of Aymeric Laporte, so this European encounter will be a big test for them as they try to bounce back from their disappointing defeat away at Carrow Road.
Midfield
Guardiola could opt for the midfield three of Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne as they look to retain possession and orchestrate some decent openings for the front players going forward. Both David Silva and Phil Foden will be available on the Man City bench and might come on to make an impact if required.
Attack
Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez will be responsible for providing width out on the wide areas while Sergio Aguero leads the line for the visitors up top. Aguero has got his name on the scoresheet in each of his past five outings for the Citizens in the Premier League. Hence, the Argentine striker will fancy his chances of keeping his goal-scoring run going against Shakhtar in midweek.
Gabriel Jesus will have to settle for a spot on Guardiola’s bench but might get a chance to influence the game if needed.
