Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan all return to the starting lineup.
John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Joao Cancelo, Rodrigo and Kevin De Bruyne move to the bench, an opportunity, perhaps, to rest ahead of our UEFA Champions League trip to Portugal on Tuesday.
CITY+ | SIGN UP TO ACCESS EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Gabriel Jesus, Jack Grealish and Zack Steffen are all unavailable and haven’t made the trip to East Anglia.
Teams
Norwich
Starting XI: Gunn, Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Williams, Gilmour, Lees-Melou, McLean, Sargent, Rashica, Pukki
Subs: McGovern, Byram, Zimmermann, Giannoulis, Normann, Placheta, Dowell, Tzolis, Rowe
City
Starting XI: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Bernardo, Mahrez, Sterling, Foden
Subs: Carson, Stones, Laporte, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Cancelo, Kayky, Delap, McAtee
City tactics
As ever, it’s 4-3-3 for City today.
Ederson starts in goal and his outstanding distribution will set the tone for City’s buildup play.
Kyle Walker will provide width and energy down the right. A fine defender, he’s also offers superb quality high up the pitch.
Oleksandr Zinchenko will play on the left-hand side and is likely to step inside and add numbers in central areas when we have the ball.
Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake will play at the heart of defence, with Fernandinho just ahead of them. The Brazilian will patrol the area in front of the back four and add an extra layer of defensive solidity.
With Ilkay Gundogan’s guile and Bernardo’s industry, it’s a midfield that offers plenty.
And the front three is unchanged from Wednesday’s win at the Etihad, with Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden forming a fluid forward line.
The usual principles apply: Keep the ball as much as possible. Fight hard to win it back if we lose possession. Always look to attack when possible.
Those are fundamental standards Guardiola demands. No exceptions.
Norwich, who have taken seven points from the last nine, have been somewhat rejuvenated since Dean Smith took charge in November.
They were shipping too many simple goals under former boss Daniel Farke. Smith has made them harder to beat, and in Teemu Pukki, they have a striker capable of scoring goals.
Getting three points from this one will be no easy task.
Tense title race
Only a few weeks ago, there were many who had dismissed this season’s title race as a fait accompli.
Our 1-0 win over Chelsea in January saw us move 13 clear at the top of the table and experts throughout the game suggested it was all over.
But not once has Pep Guardiola let his guard down.
“We made an incredible run in the Premier League so far and Liverpool is still there round the corner,” he said on Friday. “That shows how amazing and difficult our opponent is.”
Liverpool’s victory at home to Leicester on Thursday reduced our lead at the top to nine points and Jurgen Klopp’s side still have a game in hand, as well as a chance to beat City when they visit the Etihad in April.
The fight for this season’s title remains very much on.
“We have to win a lot - more than 90 points - 95, 96 to be champions,” Pep says.
Points, therefore, remain vital. Liverpool have posted points tallies of 99 and 98 points in recent seasons and can still reach 96 this time. They are a consistent, winning machine and have been our fiercest rivals over the past five seasons.
Every single game is vital when your opponent is so good. There’s very little room for slipups.
WATCH: Guardiola: City and Liverpool have set new Premier League standard
Match stats and facts
Head-to-head
Norwich have conceded 41 goals in the past 12 Premier League meetings, with Manchester City winning eight of those (D2, L2).
The Canaries ended a seven-match winless home league run in this fixture by triumphing 3-2 in the last encounter at Carrow Road in September 2019.
Manchester City’s most recent competitive away victory versus Norwich was 3-0 in the FA Cup third round in January 2016.
Norwich City
The Canaries have earned seven points from their past three league games, just one fewer than they had in their previous 12.
Norwich have scored six goals in those three league matches, as many as they had in their previous 15.
Dean Smith is looking to become the first Norwich manager to go four Premier League fixtures without defeat since Chris Hughton in February 2013.
This is Smith’s 100th Premier League match as a manager. He has won 31 of them, drawn 19 and lost 49.
Smith lost all five competitive matches as Aston Villa head coach against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Teemu Pukki has scored six Premier League goals this season, the same tally as the rest of the Norwich squad combined.
Manchester City
Manchester City won 17 of their previous 19 matches in all competitions and taken 40 points out of a possible 42 in the Premier League.
They have earned 20 successive league wins after taking the lead since a 3-2 defeat at Brighton in May 2021.
Pep Guardiola’s side have the best defensive record in the division, conceding just 14 goals.
Their only defeat in the past 36 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the relegation zone came at Norwich in September 2019.
City’s tally of 16 different scorers in the Premier League this season is two more than the number of goals scored by Norwich.
Riyad Mahrez has scored in seven successive appearances for City in all competitions, including five league fixtures.
