Five-man Manchester City team news update drops 24 hours early ahead of Carabao Cup clash at Swansea | OneFootball

An insight into how Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City travelling squad could look at the Swansea.com Stadium on Wednesday night was dropped 24 hours early.

The Premier League giants return to Carabao Cup action this week as they continue their pursuit of a domestic cup run, with Guardiola expected to balance youth opportunities alongside key senior rotations.

Having navigated a congested fixture period across the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, Manchester City’s midweek tie presents another chance to blend emerging academy talent with established first-team names.

City have developed a strong tradition under Pep Guardiola of integrating elite academy prospects into senior competitions, particularly during the early domestic cup rounds, with the likes of Nico O’Reilly and James McAtee have all used similar opportunities to stake claims for greater involvement in the first team.

The EFL Trophy fixture involving the club’s Under-21 side provided valuable clues ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth round contest. As the club’s development squad faced Rotherham United, line-up choices offered a strong indication of who may, or may not, be involved in South Wales for the senior side.

As confirmed on Tuesday, City’s Under-21 starting line-up featured four players that were involved in the first-team’s Carabao Cup third round win at Huddersfield Town – a victory secured via goals from Phil Foden and Savinho.

A quartet of Stephen Mfuni, Kaden Braithwaite, Reigan Heskey, and Jaden Heskey all started for the club’s second side against the Football League outfit, suggesting they may be left out of the first-team set-up in South Wales.

One notable omission from the youth side was highly-rated attacking midfielder Divine Mukasa, before Pep Guardiola would later confirm that the teenager would travel with the senior side to Swansea on Wednesday morning.

Divine Mukasa’s involvement adds another exciting dimension to Manchester City’s Carabao Cup plans, with the 17-year-old enjoying a standout run of form at academy level this season. His inclusion follows impressive displays for the Under-18s and a growing reputation as one of the brightest attacking midfielders emerging from the club’s youth ranks.

With several senior players likely to be rested, Pep Guardiola may look to hand Mukasa a first-team start following on from his full debut against Huddersfield, or valuable minutes from the bench – continuing City’s pattern of rewarding standout academy performers.

The club’s staff are expected to rotate heavily for the trip to Wales, with fringe and young players taking centre stage before a return to Premier League action at the weekend. For supporters, early squad hints will only heighten anticipation not just for progression in the cup, but for another glimpse at the club’s next generation stepping up under Pep Guardiola.