Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria
San Marino

Team News: Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku on Manchester City bench, Alex Matos to make Huddersfield debut

sportsmole.co.uk, 7 January 2024, 13:08
Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku have both been named on the Manchester City bench for this afternoon's FA Cup third-round tie against Huddersfield Town at the Etihad Stadium.

De Bruyne, who was an unused substitute for last weekend's 2-0 win over Sheffield United in the Premier League, is in contention to make his first appearance for the Citizens since tearing his hamstring back in August.

Doku, meanwhile, has returned to the matchday squad for the first time since the beginning of December after recovering from a muscle problem.

However, there is no sign of star striker Erling Haaland, who returned to first-team training earlier this week following a lengthy spell out with a foot injury, but he is not quite ready to return to first-team action and misses out again this afternoon.

A virus has struck the Citizens this week and as a result, Bernardo Silva and Kalvin Phillips - who has been tipped to leave the club in January - are both absent from the matchday squad, but both Matheus Nunes and Scott Carson have recovered in time to feature.

There is also a somewhat surprising appearance of Rodri on the substitutes' bench, as manager Pep Guardiola initially ruled the midfielder out of today's game at a press conference on Friday following the passing of his grandmother.

Guardiola has made a total of five changes to the side that beat Sheffield United last time out, with Rodri, Ederson, Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake and Bernardo all making way for Stefan Ortega, Oscar Bobb, Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias and Sergio Gomez.

A back four of Manuel Akanji, Dias, Ake and Gomez is set to sit behind midfield duo Lewis and Mateo Kovacic, while Bobb, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish all provide support in attack for Julian Alvarez.

As for Huddersfield, Darren Moore has made three changes to the side that lost 4-1 at Leicester City in the Championship on New Year's Day, with the most notable inclusion being Chelsea loanee Alex Matos who is set to make his debut for the Terriers at the expense of David Kasumu.

Brodie Spencer is also handed a start following his recall from a loan at Scottish Premiership side Motherwell, and he takes the place of Yuta Nakayama in defence, while Ben Jackson returns to the first XI after missing the last three games through illness, coming in for Jaheim Headley.

Striker Bojan Radulovic, another new recruit, is among the substitutes, while centre-back Michal Helik, Huddersfield's top scorer so far this season with seven goals, will captain the side in the back three.

Manchester City: Ortega; Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Gomez; Lewis, Kovacic; Bobb, Foden, Grealish; Alvarez

Subs: Ederson, Walker, Ake, Doku, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Nunes, Wright, Hamilton

Huddersfield Town: Nicholls; Spencer, Lees, Helik; Matos, Edmonds-Green, Rudoni, Wiles, Jackson; Thomas, Koroma

Subs: Bellagambi, Ayina, Edwards, Austerfield, Stone, Diarra, Radulović, Hudlin, Iorpenda

Top News

21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Joel Matip could remain in the Premier League next season, with two Premier League clubs looking to secure the signature of the veteran defender in the upcoming transfer window, according to a report. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Austria Under-17s and Wales Under-17s will both be looking to claim their first win of the European Under-17 Championship when they face off at the Ammochostos Stadium on Thursday. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sao Paulo play host to Aguia de Maraba on Thursday night looking to secure a safe passage through to the fourth round of the Copa do Brasil. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After beginning the European Under-17 Championship with a win, Serbia Under-17s will look to add three more points to their tally when they face Cyprus Under-17s in Larnaca on Thursday. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The penultimate gameweek in the Saudi Pro League will see Al Ittihad taking on Damac at the Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah on Thursday evening. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ukraine Under-17s will attempt to claim their first points of the European Under-17 Championship when they face Czech Republic Under-17s in Thursday's clash at the Paralimni Stadium. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk VfL Bochum welcome Fortuna Dusseldorf to Vonovia Ruhrstadion for the first leg of the Bundesliga relegation playoff on Thursday night. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister is reportedly not interested in leaving the Anfield club over the summer. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Cristiano Ronaldo will become the first player to take part in six European Championships when he takes to the field for Portugal at this summer's competition in Germany. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two wins away from an historic treble, Bayer Leverkusen will tackle Atalanta BC in Wednesday's Europa League final, with the Italian side seeking a first major trophy since 1963. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have confirmed the departure of head coach Mauricio Pochettino by mutual consent. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in two left-backs ahead of this summer's transfer window. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Denmark Under-17s will look to begin the European Under-17 Championship with consecutive victories when they face Croatia under-17s on Thursday. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Cristiano Ronaldo is set to feature in his 11th major international tournament, with the Al-Nassr forward named in the Portugal squad for this summer's European Championship. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Euro 2024 will represent the 11th time England have competed at the European Championship since the tournament was first held in France back in 1960. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino reportedly has plans to hold his own in discussions with the club's co-owners. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has reportedly emerged as a candidate for the Bayern Munich job. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly reached a decision over the asking price of Pedro Neto. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England manager Gareth Southgate has admitted that one of the 33 players included in his Euro 2024 training squad is a "long shot" for this summer's continental championships in Germany. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England manager Gareth Southgate has explained his reasoning for snubbing Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson from his 33-man Euro 2024 training squad. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson will reportedly consider a transfer away from the Etihad Stadium this summer. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United and Chelsea reportedly face stern competition from another Premier League club in the race for Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England manager Gareth Southgate has announced an extended 33-man training squad ahead of Euro 2024 in Germany. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk One of Liverpool's star players has dropped a major hint to suggest that he could stay at Anfield for another season following the appointment of Arne Slot as the club's new head coach. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Andre Onana has acknowledged that Manchester United have endured a "bad season" under Erik ten Hag, but he hopes the Dutchman will be given a chance to turn the club's fortunes around. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has announced that he will retire from football after representing Germany at Euro 2024 this summer. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United and Arsenal have seemingly been handed a boost in their efforts to add a new striker to their ranks this summer. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa are reportedly contemplating making an approach for a Barcelona defender during the summer transfer window. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England boss Gareth Southgate has reportedly decided to show faith in an injury-hit Manchester United player ahead of Euro 2024. 21 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The season is over and while the transfer window doesn't technically open until June 14, clubs across the UK and Europe are free to get deals in place ahead of next season.