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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
George Smith

Man City fans name starting line-up they want to see vs Chelsea as Phil Foden starts

Manchester City will be going in search of a second successive win over Chelsea in the space of just four days when the two sides meet in the third round of the FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.

City, who last won the FA Cup back in 2019, got the better of Graham Potter's side in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night, winning 1-0. Riyad Mahrez stepped off the bench to tap in the only goal of the game, connecting with fellow substitute Jack Grealish's low cross.

It was just the result that City were in need of after being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Everton in their final outing of 2022. Victory over the Londoners moved them back to within five points of current Premier League table-toppers Arsenal, meaning they will head into Sunday's clash with the eight-time FA Cup winners on a high.

READ MORE: City step up plan for Kalvin Phillips after Rodri concern

And City are strong favourites to get the better of Graham Potter's side once again, such is the poor run of form the Londoners are currently experiencing. City have reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup in each of the last four seasons, meaning it is a competition that manager Pep Guardiola tends to take very seriously.

But how do City's fans want the Blues to line-up this evening? MEN Sport has taken a close look at what they have voted for using our interactive widget.

Unsurprisingly, the supporters have voted for back-up goalkeeper Stefan Ortega to start between the sticks. The German had made four appearances so far this season, two of which came in the Carabao Cup, meaning that Guardiola sees him as his chosen cup 'keeper.

In defence, City's supporters want to see two changes made to the defensive line that started at Stamford Bridge. They want to see both Manuel Akanji, who came off the bench at half-time on Thursday evening, and Aymeric Laporte recalled, replacing John Stones and Nathan Ake in the XI.

Those changes mean that they want to see City revert back to a back-four with Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo in the two full-back positions. Cancelo played high up on the right side against Chelsea up until being withdrawn at the interval.

In midfield, the supporters want to see just one alteration made, that being one that sees Kalvin Phillips bag his first start in City colours. The fans want to see him come into the side at the expense of Kevin De Bruyne and join forces with Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan in the engine room.

Up front, the supporters want to see Guardiola revert back to his usual three-man system, featuring two wide players and a striker, after City started with a 3-2-4-1 system on Thursday night. They want Phil Foden to keep his place on the left-wing but be joined in attack by Julian Alvarez and Mahrez. Alvarez has not started since returning from the World Cup in Qatar.

Starting line-up City's supporters want to see vs Chelsea: Ortega; Walker, Akanji, Laporte, Cancelo; Phillips, Gundogan, Bernardo; Mahrez, Alvarez, Foden.

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