The Norwich City vs Manchester City match will be played this Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Carrow Road stadium. After the loss against Chelsea in the derby match, which was the first this season in their home ground, City will look to bounce back, and Manuel Pellegrini will likely put up his strongest available squad for the match against Norwich.
Formation:
Pellegrini prefers the classical 4-4-2 formation, so that is the most probable setup in the match against Norwich.
Goalkeeper: Joe Hart
Pellegrini is happy to see his first goalkeeper performing really well after the sloppy start of the season, and Hart will be in the starting lineup without a doubt.
Right back: Pablo Zabaleta
The Argentine defender is the vital part of City’s setup, and he will, as Joe Hart, surely start this match.
Center backs: Matija Nastasic and Vincent Kompany
Young Nastasic had a bad game against Chelsea, but he will very likely start this one too, because Pellegrini has a lot of problems with injured defenders. The only dilemma is that maybe Martin Demichelis could start in the center defender spot, but after a dreadful display in the loss against Chelsea Pellegrini shouldn’t pick him again, so he will probably be substituted in this match. The other center defender will be City’s captain, Vincent Kompany, there is no question about it.
Left back: Gael Clichy
Clichy and Kolarov are in the squad rotation system, and we see a perfect chance for the Frenchman to prove himself against the weaker opponent. Kolarov played excellent in the recent matches, and it will not be an easy task for the ex-Arsenal man.
Central midfielders: Yaya Toure and James Milner
The biggest question mark is who will be the man alongside Yaya Toure in the central midfielder spot. Toure will surely play, but whether his partner will be Martin Demichelis or someone else it is rather unknown. Demichelis had really bad game against Chelsea, so we don’t expect to see him in the starting lineup. The most logical replacement for him is City’s universal squad rotation player, James Milner.
Left midfielder: David Silva
The Spaniard is the first choice in this position, and after the series of injuries in City, Pellegrini is forced to pick Silva in all combinations.
Right midfielder: Jesus Navas
Similar with his Spanish compatriot, Navas is exploiting the fact that City has a somewhat reduced rotation at the moment, so he should start this match too.
Central attackers: Stevan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko
This two are the only healthy attackers Pellegrini has at the moment, so they should start. If he features in the starting lineup, that would be the first start in the Premier league for Stevan Jovetic. There is a slight chance for Alvaro Negredo to start this match, but the Spanish attacker picked up a light injury, so regarding the situation in the Manchester City squad, it is unlikely that Pellegrini will risk and put him in the starting lineup.
