England EFL "Carabao" Cup - Preview

The third round of England's EFL Cup, or otherwise known as the Carabao Cup resumes play on Tuesday. This competition resembles the countries most storied event in the FA Cup, with clubs from lower divisions sharing the pitch with many of the top flight giants.

This event generally does not get as much publication as the country would like, but the opportunity to collect a trophy is always appealing for all parties involved, making for some inspired football as the tournament progresses.

11013 Oxford United vs 11014 Manchester City 

 Grenoble Road, Oxford, England
9-25-2018- 2:45 pm ET

The line-up of matches are more even than many might anticipate, but there is always a few lop-sided fixtures on the card, with the defending Premier League champions making the trip to Oxford, where a struggling League One side will attempt to survive the Citizens onslaught over the full 90 minutes.

Oxford United need all the help they can possibly get, and with regulars Samir Carruthers, Simon Eastwood and Rob Hall all set to miss out in the starting eleven, the obstacle has become even larger for the "U's", who will get no sympathy from their visitors from Manchester.

Karl Robinson must convince what remains of his squad they can compete with Pep's men, although he may be forced to abandon his patented 4-2-3-1 possession style of play, as the English-man may opt to place an extra defender in the back, in hopes of keeping this match close and grab a positive result.

The 'Yellows' will place their slim hopes of placing the ball in the back of the net on Jonathan Obika. The veteran number-nine could be starved of service where he truly excels. Obika is most dangerous in aerial situations, he can overpower a defender in the blink of an eye, but he must be patient as the opportunities to get on the score-line may be far and few between.

Oxford's back-line, and most notably GK - Jonathan Mitchell should be in for a long day in front of goal. Robinson will certainly employ his last line of defense to stay compact and concentrated on the prime objective, keeping this Man City side from running away with this contest, and ultimately embarrassing the home side will in front of their loyal supporters.

Manchester City should be in-line for wholesale changes as they make the trip to Grenoble Road. After dispatching of Cardiff City 0-5 over the weekend, we should witness the EPL champs showing off their overall depth in this particular contest.

Pep Guardiola also has his own set of injuries throughout his normal rotation, with Kevin De Bruyne, Eliaquim Mangala and most recently Benjamin Mendy all being reserved to watch the match from the stands, as the Spaniard patiently awaits all their returns to the starting eleven.

The Citizens should still roll out a dangerous squad, as Gabriel Jesus will get the call in Man City's center-forward role, with Sergio Aguero likely to be rested ahead of this weekend's upcoming league fixture. While Brahim Diaz and Riyed Mayrez are rumored to partner with the young Brazilian in Guardiola's 4-3-3 shape,  this trio will get the opportunity to fight for even more first team minutes.

City should also be strong in the midfield, as German international Ilkay Gündogan will get the responsibility of pulling the strings centrally. Gündogan brings a strong hold-up play, and his slick passing skills will be called upon, with Pep wanting to push the tempo regardless of the opponent, and look too overwhelm another English side.

There has been a early debate on who will get the call in goal, after the designated number two Claudio Bravo failed to recover in time for this match. Ederson would seem the most likely to play in between the sticks, while young phenom Arijanet Muric will hold his breath he finally gets on the pitch within the starting eleven.

Manchester City should dominate in all aspects of this EFL match-up, able to control the majority of the time on the ball, their midfielders are highly skilled with the ball at their feet, looking to create mismatches for their talented front-line trigger men. The City back-line is also setup for standout performances, with Oxford United sure to see this confident group making life difficult on them with each touch of the ball.

EFL "Carabao" Cup - Prediction

Expect Man City to set the tone early, challenging Oxford to slow them down moving forward, where the home side should be at a decided disadvantage to keep the Citizens in front of them.

The guests will see at least 70% of possession for the full 90 minutes, while creating at least ten or more shots on goal, with a well orchestrated midfield, that will break their opponents down on a routine basis, while placing their danger-men in the best spots too succeed.

Pep should employ his men to try and put this game away in the first half, I anticipate a 0-2 type of score-line by the end of the first half whistle, with Man City adding too that total as the second half resumes.

Predicted Score:
Oxford United  0 - Manchester City  4