What to Watch For: Manchester City Face Manchester United in EFL Cup Fourth Round

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City challenges Paul Pogba of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on September 10, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /

Manchester City will try to snap their five match win-less streak on Wednesday as they face rivals Manchester United in the Round of 16 of the EFL Cup.

Pep Guardiola’s squad are coming off a 1-1 draw vs Southampton in the EPL on Sunday in which the Citizens dominated most of the match. After a 2-1 victory in the third round of the tournament over Swansea City, Guardiola’s men will try to advance further in the competition.

Manchester United are coming off a 4-0 hammering by Chelsea in the EPL also on Sunday in Jose Mourinho‘s first game back at Stamford Bridge. In their third-round match-up, Manchester United defeated League-One outfit Northampton 3-1 away from home.

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Whether it is the EPL, EFL Cup, or F.A. Cup, we have another Manchester Derby on our hands. According to Sky Sports, Pep Guardiola expects a tough match despite both teams making several changes to their line-ups. “A derby is a derby. It’s always special. We are not going to play just a game. We are going to play seriously, like always, and try to win the game.”

Kevin De Bruyne, who picked up a knock in training will not travel to Old Trafford for tomorrow’s match. Pablo Zabaleta looks to be also be out of contention for tomorrow, as does Pablo Maffeo. Two big names who are expected to play are Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany.

We can expect Guardiola to rotate his side, with an EPL match at West Brom coming up on Saturday.

With another Manchester Derby set to kick off, here are three things to watch in tomorrow’s match.

1.) Look for Manchester City to try to frustrate United early.
Manchester United were pummeled by Chelsea on Sunday and I feel that Guardiola will try to do the same thing. Even with a changed line-up, Guardiola will stick to his tactics and try to win. United on Sunday looked dismal at the back and were torn apart by Chelsea’s wide players. Look for players like Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, and Jesus Navas to pressure the United back-line. I feel that if City can get inside United’s heads early that it could make for a very frustrating evening for the hosts.

2.) Vincent Kompany SHOULD start this match!
As Vincent Kompany returned to the City starting line-up on Sunday, I feel he should start tomorrow as well. The Belgian is trying to get back into playing a full 90+ minutes and I think it will help him and also help the teams chances. Kompany is one of the top defenders in the league when healthy and his services are crucial to the back-line. His leadership cannot be replaced and he can play deeper to allow John Stones or Nicolas Otamendi to dribble forward. This should be a no-brainer for Guardiola.

3.) Expect youngsters like Aleix Garcia and Kelechi Iheanacho to get some time.
Aleix Garcia scored in his previous EFL Cup appearance at Swansea and it wouldn’t be surprising if Pep starts him tomorrow. Kelechi Iheanacho may not start the match but look for him to get some playing time as well after scoring over the weekend. Cup competitions like this are crucial for the young players and Pep wants to be able to keep his team fresh with EPL and UCL matches fastly approaching. It may not be City’s most-dominating line-up tomorrow but I do expect a very attacking minded starting 11.

Next: Manchester City: Vincent Kompany's words, presence, already a good sign

My prediction for tomorrow’s match is a 2-1 City victory at Old Trafford. After not winning in their last five matches in all comps, tomorrow’s win will be huge for momentum going forward.

Be sure to check back following tomorrow’s match for the three key takeaways!

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