***City v Brentford League Cup Official Match Thread***

[nottsblue]

Early KO tonight, 7.30pm. Imagine there'll be a few that miss the start.

Full side please. I know Pep will fuck about rotate but this is a great chance for a trophy and considering we didn't win one last season, it'd be nice to get the brasso out again. Plus, winning the LC in Feb gives the players a massive boost in the run in.

2-1 Marmoush and Savinho

[stupot]

Early KO tonight, 7.30pm. Imagine there'll be a few that miss the start.

Full side please. I know Pep will fuck about rotate but this is a great chance for a trophy and considering we didn't win one last season, it'd be nice to get the brasso out again. Plus, winning the LC in Feb gives the players a massive boost in the run in.

2-1 Marmoush and Savinho

Marmoush is at Afcon mate

[Scatman]

He has already said this:

"James (Trafford) is going to play and all the players who didn't play against Palace will play, plus some not in the squad and, of course, some from the academy because after that there is three days and we face West Ham."

I don't think you'll get your wish

[nottsblue]

He has already said this:

"James (Trafford) is going to play and all the players who didn't play against Palace will play, plus some not in the squad and, of course, some from the academy because after that there is three days and we face West Ham."

I don't think you'll get your wish

No I kind of guessed that. Wishful thinking on my part

[Harry Dowd scored]

He has already said this:

"James (Trafford) is going to play and all the players who didn't play against Palace will play, plus some not in the squad and, of course, some from the academy because after that there is three days and we face West Ham."

I don't think you'll get your wish

I think we will witness another strategic fuck up by Pep, he’s pretty good at them, last night Chelsea came close to going out due to the same type of idiotic selection, but Maresco saw the error of his ways & put the first teamers on after HT.
IF Pep doesn’t want to win this trophy why go so far in the thing, better to go out early, then the team don’t have to endure so may “Minutes”

[Wonderwall]

He has already said this:

"James (Trafford) is going to play and all the players who didn't play against Palace will play, plus some not in the squad and, of course, some from the academy because after that there is three days and we face West Ham."

I don't think you'll get your wish

I think we will witness another strategic fuck up by Pep, he’s pretty good at them, last night Chelsea came close to going out due to the same type of idiotic selection, but Maresco saw the error of his ways & put the first teamers on after HT.
IF Pep doesn’t want to win this trophy why go so far in the thing, better to go out early, then the team don’t have to endure so may “Minutes”

That is a very good point. In the last two rounds against Huddersfield and Swansea he has played the 1st team + Mukasa. It's not like he didn't know when the quarter final was and when the semi final will be. Either you go all in to win it, or fuck it off by giving valuable game time to those that need it plus kids

[Nickyboy]

He can still go fairly strong if he just brings in Lewis, Ake, Stones, Savinho, Khusanov & Bobb in and hold back some big guns on the bench in case they're needed.

Those players are good enough to beat Brentford comfortably, so rotating them in shouldn't be seen as too big a risk.

If he brings those in and 3 kids from the academy to change the whole XI he's a nutcase

[Mase]

Nico G needs a break.

[stupot]

He has already said this:

"James (Trafford) is going to play and all the players who didn't play against Palace will play, plus some not in the squad and, of course, some from the academy because after that there is three days and we face West Ham."

I don't think you'll get your wish

I think we will witness another strategic fuck up by Pep, he’s pretty good at them, last night Chelsea came close to going out due to the same type of idiotic selection, but Maresco saw the error of his ways & put the first teamers on after HT.
IF Pep doesn’t want to win this trophy why go so far in the thing, better to go out early, then the team don’t have to endure so may “Minutes”

That is a very good point. In the last two rounds against Huddersfield and Swansea he has played the 1st team + Mukasa. It's not like he didn't know when the quarter final was and when the semi final will be. Either you go all in to win it, or fuck it off by giving valuable game time to those that need it plus kids

He started Trafford, Rico, Khus, Ake, Ait Nouri, Mukasa, Bobb and Marmoush against Swansea
He started Trafford, Stones, Ake, Rico, Bobb, Sav and Mukasa against Huddersfield
Obviously cant start Marmoush and Ait Nouri tonight - so pretty sure Trafford, Ake, Rico, Bobb, Savinho and Musaka will start- don't know if Stones is fit.
A few first teamers will probably get 45 minutes each and hopefuly both Nicos and Haaland are rested fully

[Harry Dowd scored]

Doku is out, obviously Rodri out, Stones out (well it’s Christmas) the two AFCON guys away. Everyone agrees Nicola G need a break, add to that our exhausted players are out on their feet therefore play the Academy or the Women’s team perhaps they haven’t had so many “minutes”

[Wonderwall]

Pep was mentioning the issue with the 10 UCL changes against Leverkusen was leadership. I expect that Dias will start just because of that comment. Stones is likely to be out until after Xmas.

Trafford

Kusha Mfuni Dias Ake

Phillips/Reijnders Lewis

Bobb Foden Savinho

Mukasa

Who knows but it won't look pretty

[Wonderwall]

The main academy players played against Real Madrid last night. So the Heskey boys are out of contention

[Outcast]

He has already said this:

"James (Trafford) is going to play and all the players who didn't play against Palace will play, plus some not in the squad and, of course, some from the academy because after that there is three days and we face West Ham."

I don't think you'll get your wish

No I kind of guessed that. Wishful thinking on my part

You had one lucky prediction vs Palace. You should walkway on a high

[nottsblue]

He has already said this:

"James (Trafford) is going to play and all the players who didn't play against Palace will play, plus some not in the squad and, of course, some from the academy because after that there is three days and we face West Ham."

I don't think you'll get your wish

No I kind of guessed that. Wishful thinking on my part

You had one lucky prediction vs Palace. You should walkway on a high

Hahaha

As they say, a stopped clock is correct twice a day

[zuricity]

He has already said this:

"James (Trafford) is going to play and all the players who didn't play against Palace will play, plus some not in the squad and, of course, some from the academy because after that there is three days and we face West Ham."

I don't think you'll get your wish

No I kind of guessed that. Wishful thinking on my part

You had one lucky prediction vs Palace. You should walkway on a high

Hahaha

As they say, a stopped clock is correct twice a day

Not if it is a 24 hour clock Notts

[Wonderwall]

Peps programme notes state of you are within one game of the semi finals then you take it seriously. Hmmm sounds like he might go strong, which is what he normally does

[Wonderwall]

Going to be a poor attendance tonight. Just got to the ground without any issues. Traffic is good, trams are not packed, concourse is empty currently. Normally a few hundred in this section by now

[CTID Hants]

Manchester City
@ManCity
·
51s
Tonight’s City line-up!

XI | Trafford, Lewis, Khusanov, Ake (C), O’Reilly, Nico, Reijnders, Bobb, Cherki, Savinho, Mukasa

SUBS | Donnarumma, Dias, Haaland, Bernardo, Gvardiol, Nunes, Foden, Gray, Mfuni

Throwing this one away...

[PeterParker]

Are we one up yet?

[nottsblue]

Stronger side than anticipated. Can’t grumble too much