Pep Guardiola may opt to rotate his Manchester City team for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Catalan said after Thursday’s 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur that he “didn’t recognize” his players, while claiming the team had lost concentration and motivation in recent weeks. Guardiola’s midweek team selection also felt good, with key players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Joao Cancelo named on the bench.
Guardiola may opt to reintroduce those who didn’t start against Spurs and hope his strong words pay off when Wolves travel to the Etihad. Still, the likes of Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Riyad Mahrez are obviously in his good books at the moment and tend to play regardless of the opposition.
Rotation will also be a factor for City with just three days between games against Spurs and Wolves, although the Premier League champions do not have a midweek game to contend with. They are out for five days after Sunday’s game, with another FA Cup game against Arsenal on the horizon for Guardiola. It is then nine days until City face Antonio Conte’s men again in the league, this time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Wolves are the kindest fixture in a seven-game run in which City face Arsenal twice and Spurs and Manchester United, so Guardiola could see Sunday’s clash as an opportunity to rest some players.
With all that in mind, we suggest Guardiola refreshes his squad against Wolves – here’s how we think they’ll line up…
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Ake; De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo; Mahrez, Haaland, Alvarez
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Bueno; Lemina, Neves, Nunes; Hwang, Cunha, Podence