Manchester City will travel to Wales to take on Cardiff City in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday looking to make it three victories in a row in domestic competitions. Pep Guardiola’s men have been flying high in the Premier League and are currently leading the table by 12 points. They have also made it through to the Carabao Cup final to set up a date with Arsenal after seeing off Bristol City in the semi-finals in midweek.
Meanwhile, the Bluebirds are currently in third place in the English Championship and are well in contention to secure a playoff spot in this campaign. Hence, Cardiff boss Neil Warnock could opt to give some of his squad players a chance to impress in the FA Cup. The visitors will go into this clash as the red-hot favourites and will be expected to get the win on the day. However, football is not played on paper and an upset might be on the cards if the Citizens get complacent.
The recent history of the fixture doesn’t make a good reading for Manchester City fans as the Bluebirds have won two of their previous three meetings with the Citizens. However, the last meeting ended with the Manchester outfit comfortably coming out on top with a 4-2 victory at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola is expected to opt for his trusted 4-3-3 formation and make some changes for this clash at the Cardiff City Stadium.
4-3-3 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Cardiff City
Defence
Claudio Bravo could start in goal for Manchester City and will be shielded by a back four consisting of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi in central defence while Danilo operates as the right-back and Alexander Zinchenko starts on the left side of the backline.
Pep Guardiola’s defence has looked shaky in recent times and has conceded 8 goals in their last four matches in all competitions. The Spanish boss will be hoping that his backline would put in a much-improved performance versus the Bluebirds on Sunday.
Midfield
The trio of İlkay Gündoğan, Fernandinho and David Silva could be deployed at the centre of the park. Kevin De Bruyne might be rested for this clash after starting against Bristol City in midweek while Yaya Toure will have to settle for a place on the bench.
Attack
The dangerous front three of Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane will start up top for the Citizens. The trio has scored 52 goals and 21 assists in between them this season. Hence it is expected that one of them will make the difference on the day at the Cardiff City Stadium.
