Manchester City head into their second Premier League match of the season with serious injury concerns.
With a serious lack of squad depth in several key positions, something Manchester City supporters have not been accustomed to in recent seasons, their early title-contending resolve will be tested with another tough Premier League test. Leicester City will arrive at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday on the back of six points in their first two league matches, with seven goals scored between the two games.
The Foxes are currently on top of the table through just two matchdays and boast reigning Premier League Golden Boot winner Jamie Vardy to challenge a Manchester City defense in flux. With Aymeric Laporte set to return to the Manchester City side after recovering from COVID-19, we will finally get to see manager Pep Guardiola’s first-choice defensive partnership should City not bring in another defender this window.
The main question in terms of team selection will come up top, however. 17-year old highly rated youth product Liam Delap was excellent in the Carabao Cup against Bournemouth, scoring a stunning goal and playing 90 minutes in midweek, but this is precisely the reason I believe he will not start in place of the injured Gabriel Jesus. At such a tender age, he needs more time to get acclimated to the pace of senior-level football and will be a strong candidate to come off the City bench if they need a goal or physical presence late on.
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Raheem Sterling up top is an idea Guardiola has flirted with quite regularly during his tenure at the club, so I would expect that he would get the nod, but the possibility remains open of Phil Foden or Kevin De Bruyne featuring in a false nine role as hinted in some of the Catalan’s press conferences.
This will be a real test for Manchester City. If they are to truly contend with Liverpool for the title this season, they must win in difficult spots like this at home. Winning away to Wolves without a stellar performance was an encouraging sign that some of the team’s steel from two consecutive title wins in 2017-18 and 2018-19 had returned, but that resolve will be immediately tested in the second act of a brutal start to the league season.
Predicted Starting XI:
Ederson (GK), Kyle Walker (RB), Nathan Aké (CB), Aymeric Laporte (CB), Benjamin Mendy (LB), Rodri (CDM), Fernandinho (CDM), Kevin De Bruyne (CAM), Riyad Mahrez (RW), Raheem Sterling (ST), Phil Foden (LW)