Predicted Starting Line-Up: Sunderland vs Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Sunderland present the next challenge for a Manchester City side that are absolutely flying at present, particularly after tough win against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

Saturday’s encounter at the City Ground tested City in a way few recent fixtures have managed, and the breakthrough only arrived shortly after the half-time interval as Tijjani Reijnders calmly converted in the 48th minute after latching on to an inch-perfect pass from Rayan Cherki.

Nottingham Forest responded swiftly, drawing level just six minutes later in a moment that summed up what had at times been a difficult afternoon for the Blues. City were then forced to remain patient, but their quality eventually prevailed.

The decisive moment came in the 83rd minute when the in-form Cherki produced a moment of brilliance, firing a superb strike from the edge of the area to secure all three points and cap off another resilient performance from Pep Guardiola’s side.

The victory marked Manchester City’s eighth in a row across all competitions, extending that run becomes even more crucial following Arsenal’s 4-1 demolition of Aston Villa on Tuesday night.

Next up for the Blues is a trip to the Stadium of Light where they will battle Sunderland for the second time in under a month. Last time out, the Black Cats were on the receiving end of a 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

On that occasion the goals came from Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Phil Foden, and Sunderland have won just one game since with a 1-0 victory against Newcastle in the Tyne-Wear derby. However, no one has managed to beat the Black Cats at home this season.

Pep Guardiola has named a completely unchanged line-up for the last three Premier League games, with the last time this happening coming in October 2017. The Catalan coach has never named an unchanged City line-up four times in a row – making the match a potential first.

Here’s how we predict Manchester City will line-up on Thursday evening!

Predicted XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma will maintain his spot in goal in the search of his eighth Premier League clean sheet. The Italian has yet to give even a single reason to consider dropping him from the line-up, and his consistency is one of the biggest factors in City’s resurgence.

The right-back position was a hotly contested topic prior to the season, with many arguing that the transfer market should be explored in favour of new options. Matheus Nunes answered those with doubts in emphatic fashion, and his performances this season have been nothing short of brilliant.

Only three players have picked up more minutes for Manchester City so far this season than the Portugal international midfielder, and there is little doubt he will be first choice again against Sunderland.

Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol had their work cut out against Nottingham Forest, with Igor Jesus testing them more than many have been able to recently. Nonetheless, it was another extremely solid showing from the two centre-backs that saw City come away relatively unscathed.

The duo have been quietly putting in some incredible performances, adding a layer of tenacity at the back that was nowhere to be seen at times last season.

On the left side of the defence, Nico O’Reilly has made the spot his own this season. The Academy graduate somewhat struggled at times against Nottingham Forest, whether it be fatigue or the absence of a true winger ahead of him to share the attacking load.

But O’Reilly has given no reason to shuffle things around for what could be another deceptively tough fixture. The 20-year-old has passed every test thrown his way, and there is no reason to believe his struggles last game where a sign of anything to be concerned about.

With Rodri returning to the matchday squad on Saturday, the selection for the holding midfield slot is not so straightforward as it has been since his initial injury against Brentford in October.

With that said, the Ballon d’Or winner of 2024 did not register any minutes against Forest making a starting spot in this one fairly unlikely. Nico is the obvious choice to start, but do expect Rodri to make an appearance in the second half with Gonzalez having earned a rest.

Bernardo Silva‘s experience has been invaluable through tougher fixtures this season and that could be the case again on Thursday night. Facing a midfield that features Granit Xhaka and Enzo Le Fee, the gamesmanship and experience of Bernardo could be absolutely vital.

Partnering the captain will likely be Tijjani Reijnders, and it was the Dutchman’s goal that put Manchester City ahead at the weekend. He may have looked a little rough around the edges at times, and his mistake led to the equaliser, but another goal involvement helps to underline his value to this side.

The Netherlands international remains a dynamic box-to-box player that adds an element of energy that last season’s struggling Manchester City team somewhat lacked.

Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki spent the majority of the last match rotating with Bernardo Silva out on the wings and will likely start this match providing a threat from out wide once more.

The way Pep Guardiola has utilised his midfielders in the attacking third has been somewhat reminiscent of the way they were used in the absence of a traditional striker some seasons ago. The duo have traded goal involvements week in week out, and rarely does a match go by where one of the two is not involved in the goals.

Leading the line once more will be Erling Haaland. The Norwegian was kept quiet by his standards against Nottingham Forest, but to his credit, the attention he draws from defenders creates a wealth of opportunities for everyone else in the attack.

Sunderland will have to be at the top of their game to keep him quiet and maintain their unbeaten home record.

Starting XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Nico, Bernardo (C), Reijnders; Cherki, Haaland, Foden.

Substitutes: Trafford, Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, Rodri, Savinho, Mukasa, R.Heskey, Doku.