Manchester City will return to action with a match against Liverpool in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
He may not admit it but Pep Guardiola would have surely preferred an easier first game back after the World Cup, with many of his important players not available to him after competing in Qatar with their countries.
That being said, with Erling Haaland and Riyad Mahrez not qualifying with their nations and Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan returning early after group stage exits, Pep will still have some top players at his disposal.
Here’s the somewhat makeshift XI City could deploy against Liverpool.
Man City predicted lineup vs Liverpool (4-3-3)
GK: Stefan Ortega , RB: Rico Lewis, CB: Jadel Katongo, CB: Aymeric Laporte, LB: Sergio Gomez, CM: Kevin de Bruyne, DM: Ilkay Gundogan, CM: Cole Palmer, RW: Riyad Mahrez, ST: Erling Haaland, LW: Morgan Rogers