Will Pep Make Any Changes? | 4-3-2-1 Manchester City Predicted Lineup Vs Sunderland | OneFootball

Manchester City will lock horns with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Thursday night as they look to secure a good result at home in the Premier League. The Mancunian giants managed to secure a narrow 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest recently. Hence, they would be full of confidence going into this game versus the Black Cats.

Pep Guardiola will set his men up in a 4-3-2-1 formation and is expected to keep changes to a minimum for this game. Hence, Erling Haaland will once again spearhead the Man City attack up top.

4-3-2-1 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Sunderland

Defence

Gianluigi Donnarumma will function in between the sticks for Man City after conceding one goal in his last league appearance. Ruben Dias will continue to operate alongside Josko Gvardiol at the centre of Guardiola’s defence as they look to maintain a good shape defensively during the 90 minutes.

Matheus Nunes will be a nailed-on starter at right-back, while Nico O’Reilly hopes to prove his worth on the other side as the left-back. Both of them would have to pick and choose their moments to join in on the attack.

Nathan Ake will provide cover for the defensive positions on the bench.

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 27: Tijjani Reijnders of Manchester City celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City at City Ground on December 27, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Midfield

Bernardo Silva, Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders will make up Man City’s midfield. Their main job would be to make life difficult for the opposition at the centre of the park and engineer some decent chances in the final third.

Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki will function as the attacking midfielders. Their focus would be on causing a lot of headaches for the opposition defenders during the game.

Rodri and Savinho will be named on the bench as they wait for their chance to influence the game in the second 45 minutes if required.

Attack

Erling Haaland will lead the line for the Mancunian giants in the final third. The Norway international would be eager to get his name on the scoresheet versus Sunderland this Thursday night.

Reigan Heskey will make up the numbers on the bench and might come on to make an impact in the latter stages if Man City are in need of a goal by then.