Treble winners Manchester City will be expected to make it three out of three wins when they visit newly promoted Sheffield United in the south of Yorkshire, even without flamboyant manager Pep Guardiola on the touchline.
The Citizens will cross swords against The Blades in their English Premier League encounter at Bramall Lane this afternoon. Kick-off time is 3pm.
Guardiola was reported to have been suffering from severe back pain and flew out to Barcelona for emergency surgery this week.
In his absence, assistant manager Juanma Lillo will hold the fort until Guardiola’s return after the forthcoming international break. Man City will not only be missing the presence of Guardiola, but also that of captain Kevin de Bruyne, who suffered a serious hamstring injury against Newcastle.
Even so, the likes of Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic are expected to do the job in the middle of the park.
City enter the tie on the back of successive victories in their opening two Premier League outings, following respective wins over Burnley (3-0) and Newcastle United (1-0).
Sheffield, on the other hand, are still in search of a point since their return to the big time after losing back-to-back games against Crystal Palace (1-0) and Nottingham Forest (2-1).
Coach Paul Heckingbottom and his troops already find themselves in a position where they are facing an uphill battle to reintroduce their return with a victory, as they face a daunting task against the defending champions.
Sheffield have never beaten Man City but will pull out all their blades in their quest to cause an upset against the Citizens.
After their struggles in the final third against Newcastle, City will receive a massive boost in attack as playmaker Bernado Silva, who recently extended his stay at the club, is likely to make his return after missing the two opening games.
Goal scoring machine Erling Haaland is expected to benefit from his creativity and add to his goal-scoring tally.
City also completed the signing of Jeremy Doku from Stade Rennais on a five-year deal, with the 21-year-old Belgian winger expected to hit the ground running and likely to make debut this afternoon.
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