Manchester City will entertain Exeter City at the Etihad Stadium this Saturday afternoon as they look to secure a win in the FA Cup. The Mancunian club were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Brighton and Hove Albion recently, so they would be eager to return to winning ways this weekend.
Pep Guardiola will set his side up in a 4-1-4-1 formation and is expected to make a few changes to his first team for this game. Reigan Heskey, James Trafford and Rico Lewis could all play from the start of this contest.
4-1-4-1 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Exeter City
Defence
James Trafford will feature in between the sticks for the Mancunian giants as he looks to keep a clean sheet in the FA Cup. Abdukodir Khusanov will function alongside Nathan Ake at the heart of the Man City backline as they look to keep things solid at the back during the game.
Rico Lewis will try to catch the eye as the right-back, while Nico O’Reilly hopes to give a good account of himself on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will try to go forward and express themselves in the final third.
Max Alleyne and Matheus Nunes will offer cover for the defensive positions on the bench.
Midfield
Rodri will try to prove his worth as the defensive midfielder as he looks to offer solid protection for his teammates at the back.
Phil Foden and Divine Muksasa will operate just ahead of them as the box-to-box midfielders for Man City. Their main focus would be to move the ball well if they want to engineer enough clear-cut chances for their teammates up top.
Jeremy Doku will hope to put his pace to good use on the left flank, while Rayan Cherki looks to weave his magic from the right wing. Both of them will try to get in behind the Exeter City backline at every chance they get.
Nico Gonzalez, Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders will have to be content with a place on the bench as they wait for their opportunity to shine in the second 45 minutes if required.
Attack
Reigan Heskey will lead the charge for the Mancunian club in the final third. He has to find a way to be a constant menace up top.
Erling Haaland will be rested on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the final quarter of the game if required.
