Manchester City Starting XI: We predict Pep Guardiola’s starting team as they host newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool

Manchester City Starting XI: We predict Pep Guardiola’s starting team as they host newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool.

City’s defeat to Chelsea last Thursday at Stamford Bridge handed Liverpool their first title in 30 years and therefore their first ever Premier League.

Manager Pep Guardiola would have known that if they had managed to win that game in London the title would still be to play ahead of tonight’s game.

Knowing the professionalism and class of Man City though, they will be desperate to perform well tonight and hope to hand Liverpool just their second defeat of the season.

So which players will be tasked with the challenge of overcoming the Reds tonight? Here we predict Guardiola’s XI…

Goalkeeper: Ederson will keep his place in the team, his incredible talents with the ball at his feet has been rightly praised since the return of football.

Defenders: John Stones has not received any minutes since football returned, so we expect him to make the starting line-up tonight alongside the imperious Aymeric Laporte. That leaves the pacy Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy to be deployed on either flank.

Midfielders: Phil Foden will be likely to get a start in this game following his two-goal display last week. We also believe the undroppable Kevin De Bruyne . That leaves, Germany international Ilkay Gundogan should be the other midfield player who returns to the starting XI.

Forwards: It feels as though Pep doesn’t even know who he is going to start upfront from game to game. However, with Sergio Aguero injured we think Gabriel Jesus will get the start, with Raheem Sterling on the left and Ryiad Mahrez playing from the right.

Predicted XI: Ederson, Walker, Laporte, Stones, Mendy, Foden, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Mahrez, Sterling, Jesus