Manchester City has a free game in the Champions League against Sevilla, so there is no need for them to play their key players.
Pep Guardiola has a chance thanks to the success of Manchester City’s two European campaigns so far this season.
Both City’s senior team in the Champions League and the under-19s in the UEFA Youth League have already won their groups, so both games against Sevilla on Wednesday are meaningless. It means Guardiola can focus on this weekend’s Premier League clash with Leicester and the following visit from Fulham.
In an ideal world, Guardiola could play his strongest side against Leicester, rest the majority against Sevilla, and recall his key players against Fulham with most having had a midweek rest. To do that, he can look to the academy and reward a number of the stand-out performers so far this season with call-ups.
The prime two candidates to feature against Sevilla are young full-back duo Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Rico Lewis. Both have been regular faces on the bench this season and both made their Champions League debuts off the bench in the home win over Copenhagen. Guardiola talked up Wilson-Esbrand in pre-season as a genuine left-back cover option, and while Sergio Gomez may be ahead of him, he can still hope for more minutes. Lewis may be used from the start on the right to give Joao Cancelo a much-needed break.
The central defensive options are easier to manage over the next three fixtures, with five players fighting over two starting spots. Even with Manuel Akanji or John Stones deputizing at right-back, there’s still room to give all five some game-time next week. If Guardiola wanted extra cover, he could consider Finley Burns against Sevilla, who impressed at Swansea last season and has been a reliable figure for the academy this term.
Ahead of him, Shea Charles has made a permanent switch to defensive midfield and has played in every U23 game, plus in the Youth League, so far this season. Charles has never made a City matchday squad and is still waiting for his senior club debut, but has made four senior appearances for Northern Ireland. With Rodri the only fit defensive midfielder for City, assuming Kalvin Phillips won’t be fit in time next week, Charles may get a chance in midfield.
Another player waiting for his senior debut is Norwegian attacking midfielder Oscar Bobb, who got 20 goals or assists last season and has stepped up as others have departed the academy. He was part of the squad that traveled to the US for pre-season but was an unused substitute in both friendly games. He made the bench last season in the FA Cup at Swindon, and would hope to go one better if called up against Sevilla.
Then there could be two more new faces in the form of Carlos Borges and Dire Mebude, this season’s in-form wing pairing. Borges has 11 goals and eight assists through 15 games this season, while Mebude has eight goals and four assists. The first taste of a senior matchday, and possibly even a debut, would be a fitting reward for their strong start to the season.
Whatever path Guardiola takes, he knows there are plenty of candidates in the academy to choose from if he wants to use youth players to rest his senior players.
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