Key events
The teams!
Manchester City: Rulli, Lewis, Khusanov, Vitor Reis, O’Reilly, Bouaddi, Kovacic, Allan, Cherki, Ait Nouri, Floyd Samba.
Subs: Donnarumma, Anderson, Guehi, Ndiaye, Fernandez, Matheus Luiz, Semenyo, McAidoo, Braithwaite.
Norwich: Grimshaw, Fisher, Darling, Bruno Alves, Yongwa, Wright, Field, Crnac, Ben Slimane, Diallo, Kvistgaarden.
Subs: Kovacevic, Stacey, McConville, Chrisene, Mattsson, Maghoma, Schwartau, Musaba, Toure.
Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo (Leicestershire).
Preamble
Recent trips to the Etihad Stadium have been rough for Norwich City fans. There were the 5-0 Premier League drubbings in 2020 and 2021, while City went two better in 2013, scoring seven, with Sergio Agüero, Yaya Touré, David Silva, Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko adding to two own goals from Bradley Johnson and Russell Martin. Just once did Norwich run City close in recent years, in 2015, but an 89th-minute penalty for City saw them run out narrow 2-1 winners.
But that was the league and this is the cup, which means Norwich can dream Carabao-infused dreams, and the Canaries will be channelling the spirit of Jonny Howson tonight.
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City, of course, are the League Cup holders and with the visit of Sunderland on Sunday, they will surely rest some or most of their best tonight. The issue for Norwich is that Maresca’s benchwarmers are still some of the best players in the world, with £85m teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi and £60m recruit Iliman Ndiaye expected to start.
The big question for Norwich and manager Philippe Clement is whether to go for it: the Championship side are reeling from a dramatic 4-3 defeat at Middlesbrough (and the long trip home) and the play-off hopefuls, currently in mid-table, have a crucial home match against Bolton this weekend.
The winner of this tie will face Brighton in the fourth round, which really isn’t ideal for either City or Norwich. The Seagulls’ comeback win at United on Wednesday robbed us of a potential Manchester derby, then, but there is plenty of work for City and Norwich to get through here, before we start looking too far ahead.
Kick-off: 7.30pm BST.
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