Manchester City fans were left a little surprised by the team announced by Pep Guardiola to face Sporting this evening.
City will be looking to confirm their place in the quarter-final draw as they welcome their Portuguese counterparts to the Etihad. The Blues hold a commanding lead in the tie, having won 5-0 in Lisbon last month.
It will take a monumental effort from Sporting if they are to prevent their hosts from progressing. They would have to inflict the heaviest defeat Guardiola has suffered in the Champions League to cause perhaps the biggest upset in the competition’s history.
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Perhaps just as important as going through for the City boss this evening will be for his players to come through the second leg unscathed. Guardiola claimed in his pre-match press conference he had just 14 fit players to pick from after confirming more absences.
Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake were already ruled out through injury, while Kyle Walker continues his three-match suspension after being sent off against RB Leipzig in the group stages. Joao Cancelo has joined them on the sidelines after being struck down with illness.
A number of the club’s academy stars trained with the squad on Tuesday with an eye on getting their chance to impress against Sporting. And, with his side already virtually through, Guardiola has rung the changes.
The City boss has made six adjustments in total following Sunday's derby win over Manchester United, with academy star CJ Egan-Riley given his chance to impress from the start. The youngster lines up at right-back, with Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus also coming into the line-up.
Further academy stars have been named on the bench, including the likes of Liam Delap and James McAtee. City fans were a little surprised to not see them in the starting line-up.
City will hope to go one further in the competition this season, having fallen at the final hurdle against Chelsea last year. With the treble still a very real possibility, Guardiola will hope his youngsters can give him some food for thought for the remainder of the campaign.
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