Predicted Manchester City XI to face Oxford United: Who should start?

After a midweek debacle that saw Manchester City suffer a 2-1 shock defeat at the hands of Lyon on matchday one of the Champions League, Pep Guardiola’s side returned to their best with a 5-0 drubbing of Cardiff City away from home on Saturday.

City are still unbeaten in the Premier League and have a terrific goalscoring record so far, having scored 19 goals in their first six games.

The Sky Blues face Oxford United on Wednesday in the third round of the League Cup and the reigning Premier League champions should come away with a comprehensive win.

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Left-back Benjamin Mendy and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo continue to recover from their foot and Achilles injuries respectively while Kevin de Bruyne is out for the count to nurse his knee ligament injury. Barring these three players, Pep Guardiola will have his entire squad of players to choose from.

Predicted Manchester City XI to face Oxford United

Manager: Pep Guardiola

Formation: 4-3-3

Ederson Moraes (GK)

The Brazilian has had little to do this season and the game against Cardiff was no different. Nevertheless, he has been solid and should start the League Cup game since Claudio Bravo is not available for selection.

Kyle Walker (RB)

The English international had a poor game against Lyon but followed it up with a good showing against Cardiff. He must start on Wednesday.

Nicolas Otamendi (CB)

The Argentine replaced John Stones in the line-up and dominated the opposition with his strength. He looked composed in the heart of the defence and Guardiola should hand him another start.

Aymeric Laporte (CB)

The Frenchman has established himself as a regular in the line-up in place of Vincent Kompany and should start once again on Wednesday.

Fabian Delph (LB)

He had a nightmarish outing in the Champions League but followed it up with a solid performance against Cardiff. Guardiola must hand him another start as Mendy is unlikely to feature for the League Cup game.

Phil Foden (LM)

Oxford United are not the strongest opposition City will face and that could open the door for the English prodigy to start ahead of Fernandinho in the midfield.

Bernardo Silva (RM)

The Portuguese youngster has been in tremendous form this season, scoring in back-to-back games for the Sky Blues. Guardiola must not bench him.

Ilkay Gundogan (CM)

The German had a poor game against Lyon but regained his touch in the 5-0 win over Cardiff. He scored a goal and set up another two and should retain his place in the line-up.

Riyad Mahrez (RW)

The Algerian came on as a substitute and bagged two goals against Cardiff. Guardiola should hand Raheem Sterling a break and field the new signing in the starting line-up.

Leroy Sane (LW)

City’s standout performer of the previous season has shown strong signs of returning to his best in the current campaign. He has had a couple of really impressive outings and Guardiola should hand him another start to allow him to grow.

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Gabriel Jesus (ST)

Given that Sergio Aguero had an injury last week, Guardiola should look to rotate the squad and hand the Brazilian a start in the League Cup game.