Please, try again later
A young Manchester City host Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday night. Given the Citizens injury list and fixture pile-up, it is looking increasingly possible that Bournemouth can get a positive result in this clash.
Manchester City have only played once this season after getting the first week of the Premier League off.
They impressed in that outing as they defeated Wolves 3-1 away from home. Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden and Gabriel Jesus all found the back of the net.
Man City’s cup date with Bournemouth on Thursday follows hot on the heels of the Citizens’ fine 3-1 win at Wolves on Monday evening, and with little time to rest between games, Pep Guardiola has already admitted that his XI will be flooded with kids and fringe players against the Cherries.
City, who won the Carabao Cup in each of the last three seasons, could hand minutes to players like Tommy Doyle and Adrian Bernabe this week, while highly-regarded 17-year-old striker Liam Delap – son of former Stoke defender Rory – looks set for a senior debut.
Jason Tindall will feel like his Cherries team have an opening to cause an upset at the Etihad this week against a makeshift City team, and as a result, Bournemouth might play with a little more adventure than they might have against a full-strength Citizens XI.
That in turn, promises to make Thursday’s third round cup tussle an exciting contest. An average of 4.2 goals per 90 minutes hit the net in the last five meetings between these clubs at the Etihad Stadium, and I expect their latest clash this week to be similarly thrilling, albeit for different reasons.