Man City XI vs Aston Villa: Haaland dropped - starting lineup, confirmed team news, injury latest today
Manchester City pair Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne have both been dropped for tonight’s visit of Aston Villa.
In a surprising move for the visit of the Champions League-chasing side, Pep Guardiola has opted to go without the influential duo while also missing a trio of defensive stars through injury.
City were already without both experienced defender Kyle Walker and first-choice goalkeeper Ederson for Sunday’s drab goalless draw with rivals Arsenal, with John Stones an unused substitute. City then saw their defensive problems worsen further when Nathan Ake was forced off after less than half an hour at the Etihad Stadium.
Asked for an update on Stones, Walker and Ederson at his pre-Villa press conference on Tuesday, manager Guardiola said: “I don’t think [they will play]. John maybe, the other two no chance.
“[John] has to feel fully fit. But the injury was less than we expected. We’ll see. Maybe for the next games he’ll be ready.”
On Ake, he added: “Injured. Hopefully he will be back soon. I don’t know exactly the timing. Next game he won’t be ready.”
Rico Lewis is in at right-back, while Phil Foden has moved into De Bruyne’s role. Julian Alvarez has been restored to the starting lineup, and is supported by Jack Grealish.
Confirmed team news
Manchester City XI: Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Bernardo, Doku, Foden, Grealish, AlvarezSubs: Carson, Stones, Kovacic, Haaland, De Bruyne, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb, Susoho
Injuries: Walker, Ederson, Ake
Doubts: Stones
Time and date: 8:15pm BST on Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Venue: Etihad Stadium
TV channel and live stream: TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate
