Manchester City will welcome ninth-placed Stoke City to the Etihad on Wednesday night in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola’s side will be coming into the game after an easy 2-0 win against Sunderland over the weekend and will be hoping to continue their momentum against the Potters, who themselves won 2-0 on Saturday against Middlesbrough. The last time the two sides met at the Bet365 Stadium, City walked out with a thumping 4-1 win and will certainly be looking for a repeat of a similar performance.
The team news for City is that there are no real injury concerns for Guardiola to be worried about, except for Vincent Kompany who is close to regaining full fitness, but Wednesday could be too early for the captain, while Gabriel Jesus and Ilkay Gundogan remain long-term absentees.
Here is how City could line up on Wednesday against the Potters:
Predicted Manchester City Line-Up
Formation: 4-1-4-1
Willy Caballero (GK)
Has made the No.1 spot his own, ousting the summer signing Claudio Bravo. Should start between the sticks on Wednesday night at the Etihad.
Bacary Sagna (RB)
With the threat of Marko Arnautovic looming large, Guardiola will be looking to go in with Sagna at right-back ahead of Pablo Zabaleta.
John Stones (CB)
The big money summer signing is finally beginning to look like the player he was expected to become. Should take the pitch for City.
Nicolas Otamendi (CB)
Alongside Stones, we expect Nicolas Otamendi to start at the heart of the defence against Stoke. Having missed out on the weekend against Sunderland, the Argentine will return in instead of Gael Clichy in the starting XI.
Aleksandar Kolarov (LB)
Otamendi coming in for Clichy will mean Kolarov will be shunted out to the left-back position and will be tasked with keeping the impressive Ramadan Sobhi in check.
Fernandinho (DM)
The Brazilian will retain his place as the deepest of the midfielders. Has emerged as one of the key players for City this season and will have a crucial role to play on Wednesday.
Raheem Sterling (RM)
The former Liverpool man did not have the best of the games against Sunderland over the weekend. But he was in great form leading into that game and should feature on the right against the Potters.
Kevin De Bruyne (CM)
The Belgian had a brief cameo from the bench at the Stadium of Light. Expect him to feature from the get-go in the midweek fixture in place of Yaya Toure.
David Silva (CM)
Ran the show for City from the middle of the park against Sunderland. Will be hoping to put on a similar show come Wednesday at home.
Leroy Sane (LM)
The German is finally showing why City spent so heavily on him in the summer. Has been exceptional in recent weeks and should hold on to his place ahead of Nolito and Jesus Navas.
Sergio Aguero (ST)
With Gabriel Jesus out injured, there is no real question as to who will begin up front. Aguero has scored five times in his last three games for City and will look to add more against the Potters.