Manchester City and Monaco meet for just the third time in a competitive setting on Wednesday night, with their previous two duels eight years ago refusing to disappoint.
City‘s 5–3 victory over the Ligue 1 side in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie was one of the great continental games that has since gone under the radar, with a mightily talented Monaco side reversing their deficit via a similarly dramatic 3–1 victory in the return leg.
Monaco have since avoided Pep Guardiola’s side during their apex, with the Spaniard attempting to build his next great team at the Etihad. However, there have been teething issues in 2025.
While City’s Champions League campaign got off to a winning start against Napoli, many are playing down their chances of conquering the continent for a second time this term. Success away from home in Europe was hard to come by for Guardiola‘s side in 2024–25, and Wednesday’s visit to the Stade Louis–II could be tricky against an injury-hit Monaco side.
Here’s how Man City could line up for their next league phase outing.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Monaco (4-1-4-1)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—The Italian returns to a pretty familiar environment on Wednesday night, having faced off against Monaco on numerous occasions while stationed between the posts for Paris Saint-Germain.
RB: Matheus Nunes—Having rotated at right back to start the season, Guardiola has favoured Nunes in recent outings, and the Portuguese was good against Burnley on Saturday.
CB: Rúben Dias—Dias may be put to the test by a direct Monaco outfit that could deploy two strikers. The City centre back rarely has to deal with teams that utilise a strike duo in the Premier League.
CB: Joško Gvardiol—Having spent some time at left back during City’s title success of 2023–24, Gvardiol has returned to the heart of Guardiola’s backline in 2025.
LB: Nico O’Reilly—With Rayan Aït-Nouri still out injured, youngster O’Reilly could retain his place at left back.
DM: Nico González—Rodri has travelled with the squad to Monaco, but the Spaniard is unlikely to start on Wednesday after he missed the Burnley rout through injury.
RM: Oscar Bobb—Savinho was given a second consecutive start at the weekend, so there’s bound to be some rotation down the right. Bobb, who appeared off the bench last time out, is the most likely alternative to replace the Brazilian.
CM: Bernardo Silva—Guardiola had no choice but to sign the diminutive Portuguese winger after his masterful displays against City eight years ago, and Bernardo is finally returning to the home of his former employers.
CM: Phil Foden—Tijjani Reijnders could earn a rest, allowing Foden to retain his place in the team. The Englishman has taken on greater responsibility for Guardiola in recent weeks.
LM: Jérémy Doku—Doku has taken his game up a notch this term, and he was on the scoresheet in City’s 2–0 win over Napoli in Gameweek 1. He’s currently an indispensable figure.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Monaco: Bernardo Starts at Former Home.
