Manchester City fans have urged Pep Guardiola to select a more orthodox starting XI for Wednesday's Champions League clash with RB Leipzig.
City return to European action with a trip to Germany for the first of their two last-16 clashes. The Blues could only secure a disappointing draw at Nottingham Forest at the weekend as they fell behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
And Guardiola suffered a double injury blow before even jetting off to Germany on Tuesday, with Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte both left out of the travelling party alongside John Stones. The Spaniard's absence hands his manager a slight defensive dilemma.
ALSO READ: Why De Bruyne and Laporte are not in City squad vs Leipzig
That dilemma could force Guardiola to ditch the back-three hybrid that saw Bernardo Silva fill in as an auxiliary left-back out of possession, and City supporters have backed Nathan Ake to play on the left of Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias, with the experienced Kyle Walker picked over Rico Lewis on the opposite flank.
Another reason for Guardiola's return to a back-four may well be the need for Silva in midfield, with De Bruyne not included in the squad. City fans have opted for an experienced midfield trio of Rodri alongside the Portugal international and club captain Ilkay Gundogan.
The dependable trio have been among the Blues' most consistent performers this season, with each featuring in at least 30 games so so far - only Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and De Bruyne have matched that feat.
And the Norwegian has been backed to start again in Leipzig, facing an old Bundesliga rival from his days at Borussia Dortmund. Haaland has five goals in his four Champions League games this campaign, only enough for joint-fourth in the competition's rankings - something he will be desperate to fix.
Either side of the City goal machine, supporters have gone for the in-form duo of Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez on the wings. Foden started his first game since the Manchester derby defeat on Saturday but looked out of sync with Haaland at the City Ground and has been dropped by fans for Wednesday's clash.
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