Manchester City return to the Etihad to take on Luton Town in the Premier League. Looking to keep pace with the title contenders and rest key players for the Real Madrid second leg. Question is how much rotation is needed and is that a risk one they cannot afford?

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Starting Point

Notable Injuries:

• Manchester City are without Nathan Ake (calf) and Kyle Walker (hamstring), both out injured whilst the rest of the squad remain available.

• Luton Town are without Tom Lockyer, Nakamba, Jacob Brown, Adebayo, Amari’i Bell, Ogbene, Lokonga, Dan Potts and Mads Andersen. Gabriel Osho will be assessed before kickoff. Issa Kabore is ineligible to face is parent club.

Interesting Stats:

• Luton Town won against Bournemouth in their last Premier League game, prior to that they were without a win since January when they beat Brighton 4-0.

• Luton Town are without a clean sheet in their last 12 matches in all competitions.

• Despite attempting the second most long passes in the Premier League (2465), Luton Town have the second worst passing accuracy for long passes (44.2%).

• Only Aston Villa (103) have had more through ball attempts against them than Luton Town (86) in the Premier League this season.

Manchester City vs Luton Town Preview

Premier League

General Thoughts:

Here is how I would setup against Luton Town on the Saturday, making sure that several key players get a rest before playing Real Madrid. Rodri, Stones and Foden being my main focus for that.

Rico Lewis and Oscar Bobb to both get another opportunity in the Premier League, impressing against Palace last weekend and will bring tenacity off the ball to win possession.

If it was possible to rest our defenders then I absolutely would consider it but with Ake and Walker out that’s not possible. Doubt that Gomez would be a consideration so only Lewis can provide a rest for Stones.

Kovacic and Nunes to start in midfield, the same pair that play against Luton Town in the FA Cup match. Alvarez to start in his ‘ten’ role behind Haaland, providing another runner into the box and player capable of scoring. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Kevin De Bruyne play either given he’s sat out the game against Madrid due to illness.

Jeremy Doku to come in for Jack Grealish on the left side, let him rest for the midweek and give Doku the opportunity to get at Luton, who likely will be sat in a low block.

Ederson to start and get warmed up for another start against Real Madrid. If he’s not fit enough or looks still off it against Luton Town then you’ll always have Ortega to use. For me, we would benefit from his distribution against Real Madrid so getting him sharp is important.

Opposition Setup:

Here is a look at how Luton Town could lineup against Manchester City on Saturday, despite their struggles with injury, if City want to rotate key players then they must be switched on to deal with the threats Luton Town pose.

From set pieces and crosses into the box by Doughty, who we saw give Walker some issues early on in the FA Cup game. Also from Ross Barkley in the midfield, winning possession and being able to run at the City back four. When it comes to progressive passes, key passes, crosses into the box, through balls and so on. Those two top the list for Luton this season.

The keys for Manchester City will be scoring early, setting the right tempo from the beginning and not getting switched off. Players must be rotated for the Madrid midweek game but the standards cannot drop.

Ones to Watch: 

• Manchester City: Oscar Bobb had his moments against Crystal Palace but this is another opportunity for him to stake his claim for a regular RW spot next season.

• Luton Town: Alfie Doughty is the one who caused City problems briefly on the left side in the FA Cup match, if it’s a tight game then all he needs is one dangerous cross into the box to make it a tough afternoon for the sky blues.

Predicted Lineup: Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Nunes, Alvarez, Doku, Bobb, Haaland

Predicted Score: Manchester City 3 - 0 Luton Town

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