Youth will be the topic of conversation when Manchester City and Bayern Munich meet in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night/Sunday morning.
Unknown names take the pitch
You don’t know who Brahim Diaz, Lukas Nmecha, Phil Foden, Luke Bolton, Meritan Shabani and Ryan Johansson are? Well, you’re about to find out. Pep Guardiola and Niko Kovac haven’t been afraid to mix and match this pre-season. Academy players and fringe squad members have been used with frequency in both teams’ friendlies, with the few available experienced veterans inserted where possible.
Riyad Mahrez and Sandro Wagner need to step up
The constant tweaking has had its adverse effect on The Citizens, as Pep’s squad is yet to record a win in North America. Borussia Dortmund (1-0) and Liverpool (2-1) got the better of Manchester City. Now, it’s up to Guardiola to rally his players against Bayern Munich, the last preparation match before the Community Shield clash with FA Cup winner Chelsea. Algerian star Riyad Mahrez is one of the players who needs to step up and carry the load in the absence of most first-team members.
Bayern did well against an equally young Paris Saint-Germain in the ICC Cup opener, with Renato Sanches leaving a particularly good impression. Then, 21-year-old center-forward Andrea Favilli scored two first-half goals to give Juventus a 2-0 victory in Philadelphia.
Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are part of Niko Kovac’s squad and they should be in the starting eleven versus Manchester City. With Robert Lewandowski unavailable, Sandro Wagner has received ample playing time, yet hasn’t made the most out of it. He’s yet to score on this tour of America, which really doesn’t bode well for his chances of eating into Lewandowski’s starter minutes. Serge Gnabry is another player Kovac is taking a long look at it. Bayern acquired the former Arsenal academy graduate in 2017, but the 23-year-old is yet to make an appearance for the Bavarian club.
Manchester City vs. Bayern Munich TV schedule
Date: Sunday, July 29
Time: 01:00 (GMT +2)
Where to watch: Premier Sports, ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Live Stream: Premier Player, WatchESPN
