Manchester City will resume their rivalry with Chelsea as they welcome them to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening for the third round of the FA Cup. The Sky Blues recorded a narrow 1-0 victory over the Blues in their last outing at Stamford Bridge, so they will be looking to produce a better result going ahead into this fixture.
Pep Guardiola could shift to the more convenient 4-3-3 formation allowing Julian Alvarez to play from the start after returning victorious from the World Cup while Erling Haaland continues his rich run of form down the middle.
4-3-3 Manchester City Predicted XI Vs Chelsea
Defence
Ederson Moraes will continue to operate in between the sticks looking to secure a clean sheet again in this home encounter. Manuel Akanji will play from the start to form the customary centre-half partnership with John Stones at the heart of City’s backline.
Sergio Gomez could be given the opportunity to express himself in the left-back position, whereas Joao Cancelo will fill in on the other flank as the right-back. The full-backs will be expected to stretch the opposition and keep their shape defensively.
Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker would have to provide cover from the bench as they wait for an opportunity to feature in the latter half of the game.
Midfield
Rodri will continue in the holding midfield position; he’ll be tasked with shielding the backline and distributing possession to his teammates proficiently.
Kevin De Bruyne remains a guaranteed starter at the central midfield position while Ilkay Gundogan keeps his place in the middle of the park. The duo would be determined to set up some clear-cut goal-scoring chances in front of the goal making forward runs into the opposition’s backline.
Bernardo Silva will take a spot on the bench as he waits for his opportunity to impress in the second if Guardiola decides to call upon his services.
Attack
Phil Foden and Julain Alvarez will take up the wide positions, playing on the left and right wing respectively, trying to cut inside and create chances in front of the goal.
Erling Haaland will continue to lead the charge for the Etihad club in this weekend’s encounter. The Norwegian international will pick up on his excellent run of form trying to find the back of the net and getting his name on the scoresheet.
Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish will take a spot on the bench as they wait for an opportunity to impress in the second half.
