Manchester City may not be at full strength for the FA Cup fourth round tie against Arsenal if a trend regarding the goalkeeping selection continues.
Whilst Gunners manager Mikel Arteta will be weighing up whether to hand a first start to £21m signing Jakub Kiwior or bring in Leandro Trossard for a full debut, predicting what City team his side will face is rather difficult based on decisions Pep Guardiola has made in recent weeks.
For example, Kevin De Bruyne, Joao Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte were among the Man City players to not play a single minute of the 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur seven days ago, and then Phil Foden wasn't even part of the matchday squad against Wolves last weekend.
READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on Kiwior transfer, Elneny injury and need for midfield cover
Whether any of the aforementioned quartet features against Arsenal remains to be seen, but there is one first-team player in line for a recall and that's Stefan Ortega who joined the club on a free transfer last summer to provide back-up to Ederson in between the sticks this season.
Of course, with the Brazilian firmly established as City's number one, the 30-year-old's opportunities have been limited thus far but it's important to note that as well as starting the final two Champions League group games - after qualification had been wrapped up - he has been the 'cup keeper'.
The German got the nod over Ederson for all three of City's Carabao Cup ties against Chelsea, Liverpool and Southampton and was also in the goal for the FA Cup third-round tie against Graham Potter's side at the beginning of the month, conceding four goals in the process.
In fact, it was after the 2-0 win over the west London outfit in the first cup meeting between the two sides this season back in November that Guardiola spoke glowingly about Ortega, saying his summer signing has been an 'exceptional' addition to the City squad.
"It's not the first game, the game in Dortmund was exceptional. The game against Sevilla was exceptional," Guardiola said, as per the Manchester Evening News. "We saw him every day and I think the club made a great signing with him. He’s an exceptional goalkeeper in all departments, in the goal, with the feet, and in the end Chelsea didn’t score a goal because he saved it.
"It's good for Eddy too. To maintain the levels is so important. Stefan is an exceptional keeper."
So judging by Guardiola's policy regarding the cup competitions this season, Ortega looks set to be the very first name on his team sheet to face Arsenal and the Spanish tactician may even provide early confirmation for part of his line-up when addressing the media on Thursday afternoon.
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