Guardiola Eyes Fresh Faces: Man City's Expected XI to Bounce Back Against Bayer Leverkusen
Manchester City are looking to recover from their Premier League setback when they take on Bayer Leverkusen this Tuesday evening.
This marks the inaugural meeting between these two clubs, with the injury-hit away side seeking a surprise victory at the Etihad, after climbing to third place in the Bundesliga this past Saturday.
City have struggled with their away form this season and previously, but they've been dominant at home recently. An impressive beginning to their Champions League journey suggests Pep Guardiola, who expressed being "embarrassed and ashamed" regarding his conduct following Saturday's defeat in the North East, will probably treat Tuesday's match as a chance to make changes to his squad.
Here's how the home team might set up for Leverkusen's arrival in Matchday 5 of the league stage.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Bayer Leverkusen (4-1-4-1)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—Although Guardiola might consider extensive rotation, Donnarumma is expected to remain in goal.
RB: Abdukodir Khusanov—It appeared Khusanov was set to secure the right-back spot before his setback. Matheus Nunes has been the preferred choice recently, but the Uzbek defender might return to the lineup here.
CB: Rúben Dias—The Portuguese player was City's surprise scorer on Saturday, and he'll probably be given the responsibility of organizing the hosts' defensive line in the midweek fixture.
CB: Joško Gvardiol—Gvardiol handled pre-match media responsibilities, which typically indicates the player will feature in the starting eleven the next day.
LB: Nico O'Reilly—Rayan Aït-Nouri hasn't been given opportunities since his return from injury, so the Algerian might only contribute from the substitutes' bench.
DM: John Stones—Nico González has an important role ahead, so resting him on Tuesday wouldn't be unreasonable. Stones can fulfill the defensive midfield duties in situations like this.
RW: Oscar Bobb—Bobb's skillful moves couldn't unlock Newcastle's defense last weekend, but we anticipate Guardiola will choose the young Norwegian ahead of the veteran Bernardo Silva.
AM: Tijjani Reijnders—The summer signing has fallen out of Guardiola's regular rotation, but he'll receive an opportunity to impress from the start in midweek.
AM: Phil Foden—The core of this City squad. Foden delivered an outstanding performance last time against Borussia Dortmund and will be seeking similar success against German league opponents.
LW: Omar Marmoush—It's been a subdued beginning to the campaign for Marmoush, mainly due to fitness issues. Nevertheless, he should feature in the team on Tuesday, where he'll encounter a well-known adversary.
ST: Erling Haaland—Haaland's struggles against Newcastle persisted at the weekend, but he's experienced no difficulties finding the net in this tournament. He's just five goals behind Sergio Agüero's tally of 36 Champions League strikes for City.
