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Manchester City predicted XI vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

By Athan Tsokolas

NASHVILLE, TN - JULY 29: Manchester City poses for a team photo prior to the first half of the 2017 International Champions Cup Presented by Heineken against Tottenham at Nissan Stadium on July 29, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - JULY 29: Manchester City poses for a team photo prior to the first half of the 2017 International Champions Cup Presented by Heineken against Tottenham at Nissan Stadium on July 29, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
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Manchester City kicks off their Premier League campaign on Saturday when they go up against Brighton. Needless to say, this is a big year and it’s important for Manchester City to kick off their season on the right foot. I expect the opening formation to be the 3-5-2 seen in the preseason.

Goalkeeper.

Ederson will be the starting goalkeeper. He looked good in preseason and is poised for a big year. He’s aggressive and great at kicking the ball. Expect big things from Ederson this season.

Right Center Back

Vincent Kompany will be the starting right center -back. If he stays healthy this season he will be very important to this defense. He is the captain and the leader of the backline. He will help stabilizes the defense and help John Stones grow as a player.

Middle Center Back

Speaking of John Stones he is the perfect middle center-back for Pep. He is very good with the ball at his feet and that’s important for the middle center-back. He will be critical for City’s building out of the back in terms of getting the ball from the goalkeeper and moving it forward to the midfield.

Left Center Back

Nicolas Otamendi gets the start on the left side center-back. City would prefer a left footed player here but to start Otamendi will be good enough to do a job.

Right Wing Back

Kyle Walker makes his City debut as the right wing back. I’m very excited to see what pace looks like from a fullback and surely he will provide it. He was an expensive buy but will meet the expectations of him. He will be getting forwarded quite a bit in this formation and it suits his skill set perfectly.

Left Wing Back

Danilo is the other fullback to make his debut for City. He was a good buy due to his ability to play both fullback positions. He isn’t as attacking as Walker but he’s better that what we had last year. Mendy is still injured and won’t be starting this game otherwise he would be the first choice left back.

Central Defensive Midfielder

Yaya Toure gets the start as the number 6. He won’t have many defensive duties due to the three center backs behind him, allowing him to get forward. He will be rotated but playing against a less offensive side like Brighton he is the perfect number 6 due to his ability to pick passes and control the midfield.

Right Attacking Midfielder

Kevin De Bruyne starts in this position. He is poised for a big year and one of the key cogs of the offense. He will pick opposing defensives apart with his passing. He led the league in assists last yer with 18 and I expect him to lead the league again.

Left Attacking Midfielder

David Silva gets the start here. He will be rotated a lot more this season but remains an important part of this team. He is a pass master and should provide plenty of opportunities for the forwards. The only negative about David Silva is his new haircut, it will take a while to get used to it but I still love him.

Right Striker

Sergio Aguero will be a key man this season and will be the starter here. I expect Sterling to become the regular here but to start the season it will be Aguero. He is looking at a big year after his rocky start with Pep last year. Toward the end of the season, Sergio began to do what Pep wanted him to do and coming into the second season he understands his role and whats being asked of him. Expect Sergio to play the Pep way this year and have one of his best seasons ever.

Left Striker

Gabriel Jesus will be starting next to Aguero here. I wrote about why Jesus will have a big year this year. Coming in January last year, he got thrown into the fire and was demanded to be the main man up top. He got injured but now that he is healthy and had a preseason with Pep, Jesus will be the best forward up top. I think he has a better partnership with Sterling than Aguero, hence my reference to Sterling eventually starting next to him more often than Sergio.