Manchester City are hunting a much-needed three points in the Champions League on Wednesday night when they face Juventus in Turin.
The Cityzens are in a pretty precarious position in the league phase table and Pep Guardiola will be keen to secure a top-eight finish which would hand his team a spot in the round of 16.
Guardiola is stil dealing with a litany of absences, although the boss has been offered some respite ahead of Wednesday’s game with a couple of notable names likely to return to his matchday squad.
Here’s how City could line up in Turin.
GK: Stefan Ortega – Is Ortega the man now? He’s started City’s last three games and there’s no suggestion Guardiola will make a change on Wednesday.
RB: Kyle Walker – Walker has been nothing short of a disaster this season, but Guardiola doesn’t have much choice but to retain the veteran given City’s defensive absences.
CB: Ruben Dias – Dias’ return is a big boost for the Cityzens. After struggling somewhat at Anfield, the Portuguese defender almost single-handedly ensured City escaped Selhurst Park with a point at the weekend.
CB: Josko Gvardiol – The former RB Leipzig defender has scarcely been used in a traditional centre-back function since joining the club, but he’ll likely partner Dias on Wednesday. Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and John Stones are all set to miss out.
LB: Rico Lewis – It was quite the Saturday for Lewis, who scored his third Premier League goal before harshly receiving his marching orders. He could invert from the left on Wednesday.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – The Croatia international is back in training and likely available for the trip to Turin. With Ilkay Gundogan enjoying a run in the XI, Kovacic, assuming he’s fully fit, could immediately come back into Guardiola’s thinking at the base of midfield.
RW: Savinho – Savinho continues to struggle in the final third, but he does at least offer the ball retention in wide areas that the manager craves.
AM: Kevin De Bruyne – De Bruyne was excellent last Wednesday against Forest and is growing in prominence again. He should start for the third game running here.
AM: Jack Grealish – Grealish in a central position probably won’t ignite City’s season, but it should get the best out of the £100m man who only came off the bench at the weekend. Phil Foden will be available, too.
LW: Jeremy Doku – After impressing against Forest, Doku only earned ten minutes on Saturday. He’s not perfect, but the Belgian at least offers a spark in a City attack that’s been off-kilter this season.
ST: Erling Haaland – Despite netting twice on Matchday 5, Haaland has some work to do if he’s to top the Champions League scoring charts. The Man City striker is two behind Robert Lewandowski’s tally of seven.