Coming off the back of their last-gasp 2-1 win against Fulham, Manchester City will be in high spirits ahead of their upcoming clash against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.
While City suffered an early exit from the competition at the hands of West Ham last term, they will be hoping to kick things off with a flyer this time around.
After all, Pep Guardiola’s side won the Carabao Cup four times in a row before the previous campaign.
As Graham Potter’s men looked far from a threat in their latest 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, the Sky Blues will be eyeing a victory against the out-of-sorts outfit.
Ahead of the clash on Wednesday night, here is how we expect the Premier League champions to line up.
Manchester City Predicted XI V Chelsea
A rare breather could be in store for Ederson, with Stefan Ortega likely to start in the Carabao Cup encounter.
While a majority of City fans would be hoping that the prodigious Rico Lewis lines up on Wednesday, Pep Guardiola may pick the more experienced Manuel Akanji at right-back instead.
Considering both Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte were benched against Fulham, the pair look set to play in tandem against the West Londoners.
With Joao Cancelo serving a one-game ban after getting sent off on Saturday night, Nathan Ake could be deployed at left-back.
Ilkay Gundogan could operate as the sitting midfielder, with Rodri handed a well-deserved rest.
Followed by his masterful showing against Fulham, Bernardo Silva could start once again for the Sky Blues.
The in-form Kevin De Bruyne will likely be wrapped up in cotton wool, with Phil Foden returning to the fold in the middle of the park.
The same goes for Riyad Mahrez, who looks dead set to occupy his favoured right-wing spot.
With Pep Guardiola confirming that Erling Haaland is not 100% fit, as relayed by Manchester City news, Julian Alvarez, who scored a scorcher against Marco Silva’s side could be his go-to man up front.
Jack Grealish, who was substituted early in City’s latest win would be feeling fresh ahead of the upcoming battle against Chelsea.
