Manchester City will face off against Cheltenham Town at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium on Saturday evening as they focus on getting the win and ensure progression into the next round of the FA Cup. Pep Guardiola’s men managed to secure all three points versus Aston Villa in midweek, so they will go into this cup game in good shape and brimming with confidence.
The Mancunian outfit will set themselves up in a 4-3-3 formation with Guardiola expected to make a lot of changes to his first XI for this clash on the road. Gabriel Jesus will probably get a start as the centre-forward while Raheem Sterling gets a well-deserved rest on the bench.
4-3-3 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Cheltenham Town
Defence
Zack Steffen will function in between the sticks for Man City as Guardiola might give Ederson a break in this cup game. Kyle Walker could once again be asked to fill in as a makeshift centre-back after he played in that position in the 3-0 win over Birmingham City in the last round of the FA Cup. The English talent will partner Ruben Dias at the heart of the Man City defence as they look to restrict the opposition from scoring this weekend.
Joao Cancelo is expected to get a start at right-back while Benjamin Mendy comes into the side to fill in as a left-back. They will be looking to create some chances for the front players by making some overlapping runs in the final third.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and John Stones will make up the numbers on the bench as they offer cover for the defensive positions.
Midfield
The Mancunian giants could lineup with a midfield three of Ilkay Gundogan, Fernandinho and Bernardo Silva. They will focus on retaining possession at the centre of the park and engineering a few clean-cut opportunities to score in the attacking third. Silva will be full of confidence after scoring versus the Villans in midweek.
Kevin De Bruyne is unlikely to be risked in this match, so Rodri will be available for selection on the bench.
Attack
Ferran Torres could get a rare chance to impress on the left flank while Riyad Mahrez tries to produce a goal-scoring performance as the right-sided wide player. As mentioned earlier, Gabriel Jesus will lead the charge for Man City down the middle.
Raheem Sterling can expect to get a rest on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the latter stages if required.
