Preview for Swansea vs Man City
Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City will have an “incredible focus” for tomorrow night’s trip to Swansea in the EFL Cup last 16, although he will make radical changes to his squad.
City have won the trophy four times under Guardiola and the Catalan claims the success rate is down to giving maximum respect to teams at the bottom of the pyramid.
He said: “I played 10 seasons here and played several times for Carabao, in the FA Cup.
“We’ve always taken the teams from the lower divisions seriously, otherwise we wouldn’t have had the success we’ve had in the past, so we prepare in the same way. Incredible focus, sometimes even more. We have a responsibility to make the players understand that it’s important.”
With City having to juggle the Premier League, Champions League and EFL Cup, it is inevitable that they will rotate their squad for the trip to South Wales.
Erling Haaland will be rested, especially after hitting a post late in the 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday, while Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Gianluigi Donnarumma are also unlikely to play.
The absence of Donnarumma will be an opportunity to support James Trafford.
“The goalkeeper is in a special situation because goalkeepers normally play one and the second doesn’t play. All I can say is that we are delighted. [with him]”, Guardiola said of the former Burnley goalkeeper. “His behavior in training [is great]. They all have to be ready in case we need them in the Premier League and Champions League and of course we have an incredible goalkeeper.
Swansea are 13th in the Championship after the weekend’s victory over Norwich.
Team news for Swansea vs Man City
Rodri remains on the sidelines, with Guardiola admitting there is no current timetable for his return. Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are all ready to play.
In-form Zan Vipotnik is the Swans’ danger man, his two goals this weekend taking him to eight in all competitions this season.
Predicted line-ups for Swansea vs Man City
Swansea: Vigouroux; Key, Cabongo, Burgess, Tymon; Galbraith, state, ronald, cullen, em; Vpots
Man City: Trafford; Lewis, Ake, Stones, Aït-Nouri; Kovacic, Gonzalez, O’Reilly, Cherki, Doku; Marmouch
How to watch Swansea vs Man City: TV and online streams
Swansea v Manchester City kicks off tomorrow evening at 7.45pm UK time. You can watch it on Sky Sports+ and stream it on the Sky Go app.
Stats for Swansea vs Man City
- Manchester City have won the last seven meetings between the teams
- Swansea have not beaten Manchester City since 2012
Prediction for Swansea vs Man City
Manchester City’s strength in depth means they can make significant changes while showcasing a squad full of international talent.
They should be too good for the hosts.
