Manchester City start the season with a big clash with Manchester United at Wembley.
This time, it’s just the Community Shield, but it’s still a good opportunity for the players to get some practice before their first Premier League game.
As for Man City, they are determined to defeat Man Utd to avenge the 1-2 loss in the FA Cup final last season. Below are 5 highlights surrounding The Citizens before this match.
Who is the main goalkeeper?
Whether Stefan Ortega or Ederson will start in goal for Man City remains a matter of debate. On the one hand, Ederson is Man City’s number one goalkeeper and could benefit from the minutes against Man Utd to improve his fitness.
However, Ortega has been much better in pre-season, while the Man City No. 31 has made a number of errors leading to goals against AC Milan and Barcelona.
It is also worth considering that the 30-year-old Brazilian’s career is still uncertain. Both Al Nassr and Al Ittihad have refused to meet City’s €60m valuation, but another Saudi Pro League club cannot be ruled out from being linked with Ederson.
If Ortega starts, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s ahead of Ederson in the pecking order. It’s simply that he has Pep Guardiola’s trust and is an incredibly important member of the Man City squad.
Man Utd’s nightmare
Erling Haaland is a nightmare for Man Utd. He has a very good scoring record against Man United with 6 goals in 6 matches. However, it is quite regrettable that Haaland has not scored a single goal at Wembley Stadium.
However, in Man City’s victory in the 2023 FA Cup final, Haaland played a huge role in disrupting Man United’s defense and continuously winning the disputes. Therefore, Haaland is still a threat to the Red Devils.
The shape of the back four
With the exception of Kyle Walker and John Stones, Guardiola has all his defenders to choose from in defence. Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol, both of whom have played significant minutes on the US tour, are likely to start.
Two of City’s four-man defence will be filled by substitutes or first-team players, but Guardiola may not want to risk the fitness of Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji.
So Josh Wilson-Esbrand and especially Kalvin Phillips could start.
Winger duo Oscar Bobb x Jack Grealish
Jack Grealish and Oscar Bobb could start and promise to make their mark on the wings.
Grealish has looked much more direct and appears to be enjoying some of his best football of pre-season, scoring a remarkable goal against Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Bobb has had an impressive performance in pre-season, forming a good partnership with Haaland in attack.
Rookie debut?
It would be no surprise if Savio made his Manchester City debut. Savio is a fast player and extremely skillful with the ball at his feet, making him a different option to anything else City have in their squad. Savio has been compared to Leroy Sane.
Along with Jeremy Doku, Savio is an interesting option to bring off the bench to have a positive impact on the game, especially when Man City need a goal.
