EFL Cup holders Manchester City don enter the chat tonight for the final third-round match, as dem face Championship side Norwich City for Etihad Stadium. Norwich currently sit mid table for English football second tier with mixed bag of results – three wins and three losses. Can the Canaries cause upset at the Etihad? Or will it be winning start to title defence for Enzo Maresca side?
Manager Enzo Maresca don make 10 changes for Manchester City as holders begin defence of their Carabao Cup crown at Etihad Stadium tonight. True to him word, Maresca don hand Geronimo Rulli him first competitive appearance for the club since he sign from Marseille in summer. Erling Haaland na one of the first-team players wey get rest after gruelling week wey involve wins in Champions League at Porto and for Manchester United in Premier League. Maresca add say Erling na one of players wey play 90 minutes back-to-back against Porto and Manchester United. He no be only one. I think we get six or seven players who have played 90, 90. Some of them, not all of them, will probably need some rest.
Academy star Floyd Samba, son of former Blackburn and QPR defender Chris, makes him senior debut. Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and Brazilian winger Allan also make their first City appearances. Rayan Cherki played 45 minutes in the victory at Manchester United on Sunday and it looks like the Frenchman is playing in false nine role. Some of the big hitters dey on bench – Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and Antoine Semenyo – but no sign of some more familiar faces like Erling Haaland. Still no sign of Jeremy Doku for Manchester City. Enzo Maresca talk earlier this week say the winger is quite close to return from injury, which dem are happy about.
Manchester City XI: Rulli, Lewis, Khusanov, Reis, O’Reilly, Bouaddi, Kovacic, Samba, Allan, Ait-Nouri, Cherki. Subs: Donnarumma, Anderson, Guehi, Ndiaye, Fernandez, Matheus Luiz, Semenyo, McAidoo, Braithwaite.
Championship side Norwich City make nine changes to the side wey Middlesbrough beat 4-3 at the weekend. Kellen Fisher and Anis Ben Slimane na only survivors from that thriller at Riverside Stadium. Harry Darling takes the captain armband. Norwich XI: Grimshaw, Fisher, Alves, Darling, Yongwa, Wright, Field, Crnac, Slimane, Diallo, Kvistgaarden. Subs: Kovacevic, Stacey, McConville, Chrisene, Mattsson, Maghoma, Schwartau, Musaba, Toure. Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo from Leicestershire.
Recent trips to Etihad Stadium don rough for Norwich City fans. There were the 5-0 Premier League drubbings in 2020 and 2021, while City go two better in 2013, scoring seven, with Sergio Agüero, Yaya Touré, David Silva, Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko adding to two own goals from Bradley Johnson and Russell Martin. Just once did Norwich run City close in recent years, in 2015, but an 89th-minute penalty for City saw them run out narrow 2-1 winners. But that was the league and this is the cup, which means Norwich can dream Carabao-infused dreams, and the Canaries will be channelling the spirit of Jonny Howson tonight.
City, of course, na League Cup holders and with visit of Sunderland on Sunday, dem will surely rest some or most of their best tonight. The issue for Norwich na say Maresca benchwarmers still some of the best players in the world, with £85m teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi and £60m recruit Iliman Ndiaye expected to start. The big question for Norwich and manager Philippe Clement na whether to go for it: the Championship side dey reel from dramatic 4-3 defeat at Middlesbrough and the long trip home, and the play-off hopefuls, currently in mid-table, get crucial home match against Bolton this weekend. The winner of this tie will face Brighton in the fourth round, which really no ideal for either City or Norwich. The Seagulls comeback win at United on Wednesday rob us of potential Manchester derby, then, but there is plenty of work for City and Norwich to get through here, before we start looking too far ahead. Kick-off: 7.30pm BST.
