Manchester City face Coventry City on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium, and Maresca has reason to keep his recent XI together. City opened with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth, then beat Crystal Palace 4-1, where Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland both scored twice.
Manchester City Predicted Lineup for Coventry City
Gianluigi Donnarumma should stay in goal after starting City’s first two league matches, while Abdukodir Khusanov, Rúben Dias and Marc Guéhi can form the central pair. Joško Gvardiol should keep the left-back slot.
Nico O’Reilly and Elliot Anderson look set to anchor midfield. O’Reilly can carry possession forward, whereas Anderson brings pressing and running. Their mix should give Foden, Cherki and Semenyo more freedom further forward.
Manchester City Predicted Lineup and attacking choices
Phil Foden should start on the right after his Palace display, while Cherki looks hard to omit after his two-goal performance at Selhurst Park. He supplied two assists against Bournemouth before scoring twice at Palace, making another start behind Haaland likely.
Antoine Semenyo offers pace and directness from the left, offering a route around a packed defence. Haaland remains the central reference point and obvious finisher. City can feed him early, attack second balls and open space behind them.
Manchester City Predicted Lineup takes shape
Maresca has little reason to make changes after the 4-1 win. Matheus Nunes misses out with injury, while Jérémy Doku remains sidelined, but City have enough depth to keep the same structure.
The 4-2-3-1 should give City control without dulling their attack. Dias and Guéhi can protect the centre, O’Reilly and Anderson can move the ball quickly, while Foden and Cherki can drift inside and combine around the area. Gvardiol can push higher when the opening appears.
The 14:00 UTC kick-off offers Maresca another chance to test this group, and recent evidence points to continuity. His recent selections suggest Maresca values width, quick combinations and a striker who can punish small gaps, while City’s midfield pair must protect possession whenever full-backs push forward. Manchester City Predicted Lineup for Coventry City therefore looks close to the side that beat Palace, with Donnarumma behind the defence and Haaland leading an attack already clicking early again.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma – Abdukodir Khusanov, Rúben Dias, Marc Guéhi, Joško Gvardiol – Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson – Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo – Erling Haaland.
