Several of Manchester City’s youngsters will get the chance to impress against Wycombe in the Carabao Cup tonight in what is very much a team of two halves named by Pep Guardiola.
With the Champions League having started, City face a hectic schedule over the coming months and with several players already carrying injuries, Guardiola sees the visit of the League One side as the ideal chance to rotate his squad.
“I don’t have any alternative (but to play youngsters),” Guardiola said. “We are going to play a few young players.
“Some players might rest for the games we have coming up ahead of us and yeah a few players from the academy are going to play.”
The Spaniard has named a youthful back four of CJ Egan-Riley, Finley Burns, Luke Mbete and Joshua Wilson-Esbrand, with 17-year-old Romeo Lavia in midfield.
However, he has supplemented that inexperience with a fearsome front five of Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Ferran Torres and Riyad Mahrez.
Man City starting XI: Steffen, Egan-Riley, Burns, Mbete, Wilson-Esbrand, Lavia, De Bruyne (C), Foden, Sterling, Torres, Mahrez
