How Man City should line up against Leicester City in the FA Shield – Stuart Brennan

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Manchester City will be hoping for a successful start to the 2021/22 season when they meet Leicester City in the FA Shield at Wembley on Saturday.

City will head into the competition with a spring in their stride after a successful pre-season campaign in terms of results, with wins over Preston North End, Barnsley and Blackpool.

However, the real work begins at Wembley and the City players will face a stinging test against the Foxes, who secured their place in the season after beating Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final in May.

In the run-up to the trip to Wembley, City have had the support of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Rodri all back in training this week.

Bernardo appeared against Blackpool on Tuesday night, but De Bruyne and Rodri didn’t see a single minute of play during pre-season.

Read how our writers think City should line up at Wembley and use the Interactive Team Selector to choose the best starting lineup using the tool below.

Stuart Brennan

With so many players undecided after another difficult season, raising the curtain at Wembley is all about bringing out a respected team, and giving some youngsters a chance at a big occasion along the way.

First-team players who have proven fitness in pre-season matches are a must, and those who come late to the party can be considered starting players, and are sacked from the few academy players who can sit on the bench, along with Jack Grealish, on the what it looks like.

This means City can provide a first-team defense but will need to throw two rookies against what could be a strong Leicester side.

Simon Bajkowski

It’s really tempting for Jack Grealish to start, but it looks like he’ll be only fit enough to get a place on the bench.

With Kevin De Bruyne out, I’ll give Cole Palmer another chance in the middle alongside Ilkay Gundogan and in front of Fernandinho to see what he can do from there, with Grealish and/or James Makati set to take his place in the second half.

Sam Edozie has been the surprise lead in his three pre-season friendlies and deserves to start as a result. Riyad Mahrez is an automatic pick on the other side, and would run for Bernardo Silva up front in the absence of any top striker. The Portugal international looked in style when he came on in the second half against Blackpool.

At the back, City have had a reasonably stable defense throughout the entire pre-season, and I expect the five players to be the same.

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