Manchester City will be aiming to return to winning ways when they host Southampton in the Premier League on Wednesday evening.
The Cityzens saw their 21-match winning run end disappointingly with a 2-0 derby defeat at the hands of Manchester United.
They created plenty of scoring chances but were made to rue for missing out on clear-cut opportunities to find the back of the net.
Pep Guardiola will want an immediate response from his side, and it won’t come as a surprise if he makes multiple changes from the derby defeat.
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Line-up:
Ederson is an automatic choice in goal for the Cityzens. He has not kept a clean sheet for three league games. He is still leading the Golden Glove race but has managed just one more shut-out than Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez (14).
Joao Cancelo has been a revelation for the club this term, but he had a poor game by his standards against United. He is likely to drop to the bench with Kyle Walker replacing him at right-back.
Guardiola has rested one of Ruben Dias or John Stones when there have been back-to-back league games in close procession. Stones was rested last time around, and Dias may be given a breather. Aymeric Laporte is likely to replace him.
At left-back, Oleksandr Zinchenko can be fancied to keep his place ahead of Benjamin Mendy, who has not been involved in a league game since mid-December despite being a regular on the bench.
There could be a straight swap in the holding midfield role with Fernandinho replacing Rodri. Ahead of the Brazilian, Ilkay Gundogan may be accompanied by Bernardo Silva.
Kevin de Bruyne has started four league matches on the bounce since his return from a hamstring injury. Guardiola may consider starting him on the bench and potentially keep him unused for the entire game.
Further forward, there should be a complete reshuffle with Riyad Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling dropping to the bench. Sergio Aguero is likely to lead the line, and he could be flanked by Phil Foden and Ferran Torres on either side.
Predicted Manchester City line-up (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Zinchenko; Fernandinho, Silva, Gundogan; Foden, Aguero, Torres.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
Read: Premier League 2020/21 Week 27: EPL Results & Table.
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