Manchester City will take on Swansea City in the EFL Cup fourth round on Wednesday, with a spot in the quarter-finals up for grabs.

Manchester City are coming into this game vs Swansea City on the back of a defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League, and they will look to bounce back strongly and reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals. Pep Guardiola’s men have picked up four wins from the last six matches in all competitions, and they will be reasonably confident of getting the job done.

Despite losing at the weekend, the visitors are a tremendous team and they have a lot of quality. Guardiola’s charges will be the favourites to get the job done. Meanwhile, Swansea City have been quite inconsistent and they have picked up just two wins from the last six matches in all competitions.

This will be an uphill challenge for Alan Sheenan’s men, and it would not be a surprise if they come up. The hosts are lacking in form and confidence right now, and they have a dreadful record against Manchester City. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the enocunter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Swansea City

Ricardo Santos is ruled out with a knee injury for the home team. Swansea City will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Manchester City in the EFL Cup fourth round on Wednesday night, with Andy Fisher in goal.

Joshua Key and Ishe Samuels-Smith will keep things tight defensively and help out during transitions from the full-back areas. Kaelan Casey and Cameron Burgess will form the central defensive partnership.

As for the midfield unit, Goncalo Franco and Ethan Galbraith will add defensive cover and physicality from the base of the midfield. They will look to protect the back four and win the ball back for Swansea.

Malick Yalcouye will reprise the number ten role, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Eom Ji-sung and Manuel Benson will start on the flanks for the home side. They will add pace, flair and unpredictability from the wide areas. Finally, Zan Vipotnik will lead the line for Swansea City vs Manchester City on Wednesday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fisher; Key, Casey, Burgess, Samuels-Smith; Franco, Galbraith; Benson, Yalcouye, Ji-Sung; Vipotnik 

Manchester City

Abdukodir Khusanov, Rodri, and Rayan Ait-Nouri remain sidelined for the away side here. Manchester City will shape up in their usual 4-1-4-1 formation vs Swansea City, with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal.

Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly will start as the full-backs. They will help out at both ends of the pitch. Ruben Dias will start alongside Josko Gvardiol at the heart of the Manchester City defence.

As for the midfield unit, Nico Gonzalez will start in a deep-lying role, and he will look to dictate the tempo of the game from the deep. Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden will start as the advanced central midfielders. They will add control and creativity to the side.

Savinho and Jeremy Doku will add pace, flair and goals from the flanks, with Erling Haaland leading the line for Manchester City vs Swansea City in the EFL Cup fourth round on Wednesday night.

Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gonzalez; Doku, Reijnders, Foden, Savinho; Haaland

Key Stats

• Manchester City have won their last seven matches against Swansea City in all competitions.
• Manchester City have scored at least three goals in their last four away matches against Swansea in all competitions.
• 25 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
• Swansea are without a win in four of the last six matches in all competitions.

Player to Watch

Erling Haaland

Embed from Getty Images

The Manchester City talisman is in scintillating form right now, and he could make a huge difference here. Swansea City are struggling defensively, and they have conceded in five of their last six outings.

Haaland has all the attributes to take advantage of their defensive vulnerabilities and punish them in the final third. The Norwegian international will look to add to his goalscoring tally for the season. He will look to create opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net as well.

Prediction

Swansea City 0-3 Manchester City

Manchester City will be disappointed with the way they performed against Aston Villa, and they will be desperate to make amends. The away side will look to bounce back strongly, and they should be able to get the job done here.

The gulf in class between the two teams is quite significant. Manchester City should be able to grind out a comprehensive victory away from home. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.