Rico Lewis and Joao Cancelo both to start, Jack Grealish returns – Predicted XI: Manchester City vs Chelsea (Emirates FA Cup Third Round)

Manchester City kick off their 2022/23 Emirates FA Cup campaign by welcoming Chelsea to the Etihad Stadium, just days after claiming a Premier League win at Stamford Bridge.

City scraped a narrow victory in the top-flight on Thursday night, enduring an abysmal first half before Pep Guardiola’s substitutions turned the game around and led to a Riyad Mahrez winner. 

But while that 0-1 result was a must-win game, the FA Cup will undoubtedly be seen as third priority at best, as Manchester City look to claw back a five-point deficit and catch the current league leaders Arsenal. 

Pep Guardiola’s men have already knocked Chelsea and Liverpool out of domestic cup competitions this season, with both matches also coming at the Etihad Stadium.

Ahead of Sunday afternoon’s clash, here is how we predict Manchester City will line up for the second Chelsea clash of the week.

Predicted Team

As with any domestic cup game, we will surely see Stefan Ortega between the sticks for the visit of Graham Potter’s side. The German was incredible in the EFL Cup equivalent of this match back in November and his smart saves may well be needed once again. 

Rico Lewis has become increasingly important to the team in recent weeks and, following his pivotal introduction at Stamford Bridge in midweek, we expect him to start on Sunday afternoon. On the other flank, we can see Joao Cancelo returning to the role he has excelled in for much of the last few years.

John Stones needs to be kept firmly in bubblewrap for the next Premier League match, so Manuel Akanji and Nathan Aké are our picks to line up at the heart of City’s defence. This might be a little too soon for the returning Aymeric Laporte, who is more likely to be used as a substitute and then start against Southampton in the Carabao Cup next week.

Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Kalvin Phillips will play against Southampton and also said ‘we will see’ if the England international midfielder features against Chelsea this weekend. To us, that sounds like Rodri will start once again on Sunday.

We expect Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne to join the Spanish midfielder – both key players, but both seem more likely to be rested against a struggling Saints side than in this match. 

Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish changed the game soon after their introductions in the last match against Chelsea, so we expect them to start here, while the likes of Phil Foden and Cole Palmer may need to wait for the League Cup Quarter-Final to earn a start.

The final question – to Haaland or not to Haaland? We’re going to say that Erling Haaland will start, given that he can then enjoy a full week off before the Manchester Derby, but Julian Alvarez can at least expect some significant minutes off the bench this weekend.

Starting XI: Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Aké, Cancelo; Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo; Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish.
Substitutes: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Gomez, Phillips, Gundogan, Foden, Palmer, Alvarez.