Manchester City will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways when they welcome Norwich City to the Etihad on Saturday after enduring a 1-0 loss at the hands of Tottenham in North London last week.
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Having not scored in both games played this season, Manchester City will be looking to open their account against a team they have a stellar record against. City have scored twelve times in the last five meetings with the Canneries.
Norwich will be visiting the Etihad after suffering a staggering 3-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool.
Team News:
Phil Foden remains unavailable for Manchester City. In the press conference leading up to the Norwich clash, Pep Guardiola said, “Phil Foden won’t be ready until after the transfer window..”. Gundogan has trained on Friday and is in contention for a place in the starting eleven as per Guardiola.
Man City’s star Kevin De Bruyne still remains a big question mark for the clash as, according to Guardiola, “still has a little problem with his ankle”.
For Norwich, Onel Hernandez, Jordan Hugill, and Przemyslaw Placheta are all still recovering after getting infected with Covid-19 and will not be available for the clash. Andrew Omobamidele is also a doubt for the game, while Sam Byram remains an absentee due to a long-term injury.
Probable Lineup – Manchester City:
Manchester City are likely to line up in 4-3-3. Ederson will retain his spot in between the sticks, while John Stones is set to return to the starting eleven and partner up with Ruben Dias in the heart of the defense.
Benjamin Mendy is likely to be dropped for Zincheko after a set of disappointing performances, while Kyle Walker is likely to replace Joao Cancelo on the right.
Gundogan and Jack Grealish will make up the midfield with either one of Rodri and Fernandinho in the middle.
The Front three will comprise Mahrez, Sterling, and most probably Gabriel Jesus as Ferran Torres failed to have any impact against Spurs.
De Bruyne is likely to start the game from the Bench.
Probable Lineup – Norwich City:
Despite the loss to Liverpool last week, Daniel Farke is unlikely to make many, if any, modifications to his starting eleven.
Krul will start in the goal with Grant Hanley and Gibson in the center of the defense. Young talent Max Aarons and new signing Dimitris Giannoulis should be the two full-backs playing on the right and left-hand sides respectively.
Chelsea Loanee Billy Gilmour will be the key player in the midfield, where he will be expected to play the same role Piere Emile Hojberg played in the game against Spurs: Stop Grealish.
New signing Pierre Lees Melou and Lukas Rupp will make up the rest of the midfield. Todd Cantwell, Teemu Pukki and Milot Rashica will be the front three.
With Manchester City rated as the team most likely to score 2.5+ goals this game week by the bookies, I am expecting a strong performance from them. A 3-0 win is likely for the blues.