Guardiola to make seven changes, Predicted Man City line-up (4-3-3) vs Borussia Monchengladbach – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Manchester City are scheduled to host Borussia Monchengladbach in the second leg of the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday night.
The Cityzens registered a comfortable 2-0 win over the German outfit in the first leg last month with Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus finding the back of the net.
The second leg was initially due to be played at the Etihad Stadium but has been relocated to the Puskas Arena in Budapest due to coronavirus restrictions.
Pep Guardiola’s side should be favourites to register another victory tomorrow, particularly with Monchengladbach in a poor run of league form.
In the last eight games in all competitions, they have suffered seven defeats and picked up just one draw (0-0 against Wolfsburg in mid-February).
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Line-up:
Ederson is the Cityzens’ first-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League and Champions League games, and he is expected to start between the sticks tomorrow.
Guardiola surprised many with his decision to go with a three-man backline against Fulham last weekend, which finished 3-0 in the club’s favour.
However, he is likely to revert to a traditional four-man defence tomorrow, and Aymeric Laporte may be the player to make way.
Ruben Dias and John Stones have been the preferred centre-back pairing for Guardiola, and the latter continued his excellent form by opening the scoring at Craven Cottage.
Joao Cancelo and Benjamin Mendy featured in the full-back spots at the weekend, but there could be a straight swap with Kyle Walker and Oleksandr Zinchenko taking their spots.
Fernandinho may return to the mix to replace Rodri in the holding midfield. Guardiola has rotated between the duo on a game-by-game basis over the past couple of weeks.
In front of the Brazilian, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan are in line to start after being given a complete rest against Scott Parker’s side.
Further forward, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling are likely to earn recalls in the wide attacking positions.
Mahrez managed a goal or an assist in five of the previous six league games before he was given a much-needed break on Saturday.
Gabriel Jesus appears likely to lead the line ahead of Sergio Aguero, who is still finding his feet after rarely playing over the past few months.
Jesus made a slow start to the campaign due to injuries and coronavirus, but he has impressed in recent weeks. He has netted four goals in his last four outings.
Predicted Manchester City line-up (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko; Fernandinho, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling.
Read: ‘Different class’: Manchester City fans react to 26-year-old’s display vs Fulham.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com