Manchester City will entertain Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday night hoping to pick up a win and progress into the fourth round of the EFL Cup. The current holders of the cup will fancy their chances of securing a positive result versus the Cherries after they emerged victorious against Wolverhampton Wanderers in their opening match of this Premier League campaign.
Pep Guardiola is expected to revert to a 4-3-3 formation and might make a whole host of changes to his side for this upcoming cup clash at home. A lot of youth players could get a run-out as Man City have currently got a lot of injury concerns to cope with heading into this contest versus Jason Tindall’s men.
4-3-3 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Bournemouth
Defence
Zack Steffen could come in to replace Ederson in goal for the Mancunian outfit as Guardiola looks to keep his first-choice keeper fresh for Sunday’s crunch clash against Leicester City in the Premier League. The experienced Nicolas Otamendi will partner Taylor Harwood-Bellis at the heart of Guardiola’s defence as they try to keep a good defensive shape and restrict the Cherries from finding the back of the net later this week.
Alpha Dionkou will get the nod to fill in at right-back while Benjamin Mendy continues to feature on the other side as the left-back. Both full-backs will be given the license to get forward and link up with the attackers in the final third.
Midfield
The Man City midfield could be comprised of Phil Foden, Tommy Doyle and Adrián Bernabé as they focus on working hard towards establishing their team’s dominance at the centre of the park. Foden managed to score in his last outing, so he will go into this contest full of confidence and raring to start.
Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri might be named on the bench as Guardiola looks to give them a rest ahead of this weekend’s Premier League showdown versus the Foxes. However, the midfield duo could be introduced as the impact substitutes if the Mancunian giants need a goal late in this game.
Attack
Ferran Torres might finally make his full first-team debut for Man City as he looks to impress down the left flank. Riyad Mahrez could return to operate as the right-winger but will have to carry most of the creative and goal-scoring workload in the attacking third.
Guardiola will put his faith on the young striker, Liam Delap to lead the line down the middle. Gabriel Jesus should be available for selection on the bench, but the Man City boss won’t call upon his services unless he absolutely needs it.
