Your team v Man City (League Cup, last 16)

**Insidious** · 15th December 2022, 09:55 AM

With a week to go I felt it was about time to stick this thread up.

It will be nice to see the Reds again. A World Cup shaped interruption to the season is unprecedented, so it will be intriguing to see which clubs will benefit in the League and which will bemoan their momentum being halted.

Prior to the return of League football, we have the League Cup to think about. A strange year as we have arguable got the toughest draws possible in the last-16 in both the League Cup AND the Champion's League - early exits from both? Will we prevail?

A disjointed start and injury worries mean Reds likely won't go into this match with huge confidence, but we'll see what we can do.

.........................Alisson

Trent.........Matip......Gomez.....Robertson

..........................Fabinho

...............Henderson......Thiago

......Salah..........Firmino......Núñez

Injuries permitting, that's my team. Not playing Van Dijk may raise an eyebrow but for the sake of a couple more days rest after a World Cup campaign I think it's wise as I want him fit for the Aston Villa match.

Konate may feature in a World Cup final.

A shame to be without Diaz and Jota.

**reddownunder** · 15th December 2022, 12:59 PM

I'd go with this except I think Kelleher deserves a start

**faridtoxteth** · 15th December 2022, 05:12 PM

Its the league cup..surely Kelleher will start.

**Insidious** · 15th December 2022, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by reddownunder

I'd go with this except I think Kelleher deserves a start

Just right actually, yeah - why he didn't come to mind is beyond me.

**Insidious** · 17th December 2022, 09:20 PM

Could Doak make an appearance from the bench?

**faridtoxteth** · 17th December 2022, 11:54 PM

I'd like to see Bajcetic get a start. Don't think Fab will be playing. And Jordan Hendo?

**Insidious** · 18th December 2022, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by faridtoxteth

I'd like to see Bajcetic get a start. Don't think Fab will be playing. And Jordan Hendo?

Hoping Jordan plays, but fixture congestion is obviously an issue at this time of year.

If I'm not mistaken we have -

Man City on the 22nd
Villa on the 26th
Leicester on the 30th
Brentford on January 2nd

So it's imperative to try to avoid running anyone into the ground - a real problem in the forward areas, with Diaz and Jota unavailable for a while.

**miller0863** · 18th December 2022, 12:09 PM

Pep Guardiola claims Manchester City do not have enough players to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup in five days’ time and has hit out at the scheduling.

The Premier League holders played their first – and only – friendly of the winter World Cup break on Saturday against sister club Girona, winning 2-0 with both Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne getting on the scoresheet.

But only four other senior players – Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, backup left-back Sergio Gomez and number two goalkeeper Stefan Ortega – were involved in the match.
The rest of the matchday squad was comprised of youth players and Guardiola is not optimistic about the state of his team going into Thursday’s Carabao Cup showdown with Liverpool at the Etihad.
Asked how hard it is to plan for that match, Guardiola’s told the club’s website: ‘We have four players. We have four or five players so we have to see how others are coming back.

‘We are in a difficult [moment]. We don’t have players.

‘But, you know, the big brains of football thought they would make this schedule so we are going to play this game.’
A large number of City’s players reached the latter stages of the World Cup – though only one, Julian Alvarez, will play in Sunday’s final – and they will return to training over the coming days, though appear unlikely to be involved against Liverpool.

On his returning players, Guardiola continued: ‘Some players are coming now, in the next few days, and step by step will join the people here.

‘People are coming back soon so Nathan [Ake] and Aymeric [Laporte] and Rodri are coming back, and then, later, the English players and Portuguese players are coming back.’