Manchester City are back in Champions League action tonight against FC Copenhagen – and Richard Dunne is predicting a start for Jack Grealish.
The Citizens are looking to make it 11 straight wins with a victory at the Parken Stadium, and there is optimism they can get the job done tonight.
City have really turned a corner since the Club World Cup, with Pep Guardiola‘s side finding form and key players returning.
City have been faultless in the Champions League so far, and will be confident of winning tonight – and it will be interesting to see what kind of team the manager puts out.
In the eyes of Richard Dunne, the Spaniard will turn to Jack Grealish – a player Nathan Ake is backing to shine again soon – this evening…
Richard Dunne shares why Pep Guardiola may start Jack Grealish for Man City against Copenhagen
Pep Guardiola is likely to field his strongest possible team tonight in the hope of taking a big scoreline back to the Etihad.
The wide areas are always a fascinating part of the teamsheet, with the manager rarely deploying the same two players out wide for several games in a row.
Jack Grealish has struggled for minutes since the turn of the year, and has only started one game so far in 2024, which was against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup. In total, he’s played just 16 minutes in the Premier League this calendar year, and got just under an hour against Huddersfield.
But former City centre-back Dunne believes Grealish will be picked to start tonight. He said (via mancity.com): “I think Kevin [De Bruyne] might start and Jack Grealish because he likes to keep the ball in European football a bit more.
“You can’t pick a bad team for City with the squad they’ve got, they’re all good players. It’s a great problem to have.”
Grealish needs to take his chance tonight
It remains to be seen if Grealish will get the nod tonight, and if he does then it’s important for him to make the most of his opportunity.
Grealish – who is in danger of having a Marcus Rashford-esque drop-off according to pundit Andy Gray – was a key player last season for City en route to the Treble, but he’s had a stop-start campaign so far this time around.
Injury, illness, suspension and the emergence of new players have seen him lose prominence at City in recent times, but the 28-year-old is still an important member of the squad and there is no reason why he can’t reach the levels he did last season again.
He just needs to knuckle down and ultimately force Pep to keep starting him.
