Twitter-Manchester City
SHF vs MCI Dream11 Match Preview: After securing yet another trophy a couple of days ago, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side will now shift their focus to the FA Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday. Though Manchester City went with a full-strength team in the 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup final, Guardiola has the luxury of having ample squad depth and quality which could see quite a few non-regulars start against Sheffield.
In terms of standings, Garry Monk’s side is 12th in the Championship and have been going through an underwhelming season so far. As for Manchester City, they are second in the Premier League with 57 points but are 23 points away from league leaders Liverpool, which makes the cup competitions all the more important for the blue side of Manchester.
Match Details
Date- Thursday, March 5
Kick-Off- 1:15 AM (IST)
Venue- Hillsborough
Sheffield United
Kadeem Harris and Tom Lees both had an unimpressive performance in the 3-1 defeat at home to Derby and might have to settle for the bench this around. Connor Wickham featured in the FA Cup for Crystal Palace earlier this season and is cup-tied to against Manchester City. Josh Windass did well while coming off the bench and scoring against Derby on Saturday, which could earn him a start. Dominic Iorfa is also in contention to get the nod ahead for the hosts.
Manchester City
Leroy Sane featured in the reserve team after being out of action since the start of the season. With Sane returning to fitness, there is a possibility of him making it to the matchday squad. Sergio Aguero sustained a knock in the Carabao Cup final victory and is likely to be given a rest. Phil Foden was one of the standouts in the win over Aston Villa and could get yet another start. Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Nicolas Otamendi are likely to be back in the starting eleven. Claudio Bravo is expected to keep between the sticks for the visitors. Ilkay Gundogan could be seen operating from central midfield for Pep Guardiola.
SHF (Expected Playing 11)- Dawson; Fox, Borner, Iorfa, Palmer; Forestieri, Bannan, Lee, Murphy; Windass, Fletcher
MCI (Expected Playing 11)- Bravo; Cancelo, Otamendi, Garcia, Zinchenko; Silva, Gundogan, Foden; Mahrez, Jesus, Silva
Steven Fletcher will be the attacking threat from Sheffield Wednesday’s end. The centre-forward has 13 goals, two assists and has a pass accuracy of 61.2% from 1956 minutes in the Championship this season.
Gabriel Jesus has impressed in the final third for Manchester City. The Brazilian international has 10 goals, four assists and a pass accuracy of 86.6% from 23 appearances in the league this season.
Barry Bannan has also been pivotal in midfield for Sheffield Wednesday. Bannan has two goals, seven assists and has a pass accuracy of 78.9% from 2953 minutes in the Championship this season.
Riyad Mahrez can pack a punch drifting from the right for Manchester City. The Algerian international has seven goals, eight assists and has a pass accuracy of 89.5% from 20 appearances in the league this season.
Manchester City are the clear cut favourites to win the game and advance to the next round.
Goalkeeper- C Dawson
Defenders- M Fox, E Garcia, J Cancelo, O Zinchenko
Midfielders- B Bannan, P Foden, B Silva, R Mahrez (VC)
Forwards- S Fletcher, G Jesus (C)
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