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Manchester City tasted defeat for the first time since late August when they went down to a 1-0 loss at Aston Villa.
Erling Haaland failed to score in a match for club or country for just the second time this season, with Matty Cash’s first-half strike proving the difference.
Pep Guardiola is expected to shuffle his pack for Wednesday’s trip to Swansea City in the Carabao Cup.
City have won the competition eight times, putting them second in the all-time standings behind Liverpool.
Four of those successes have come during Guardiola’s tenure, in successive years between 2017/18 and 2020/21.
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Man City lineup vs. Swansea: Projected starting XI
Trafford (GK)
Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, Ait-Nouri
Kovacic, O’Reilly
Bobb, Cherki, Doku
Marmoush
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Man City team news
James Trafford will get a chance to play once again, having been consigned to second choice since Gianluigi Donnarumma‘s arrival from Paris Saint-Germain.
The fourth-round clash will provide an opportunity for defenders Rayan Ait-Nouri and Abdukodir Khusanov to play if they have recovered sufficiently from their recent injuries. Ait-Nouri was an unused substitute for last week’s 2-0 win over Villarreal, but was not part of the matchday squad at Villa Park.
Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush have each recently returned from spells on the sidelines with injuries of their own. Both attackers could add to the goal threat for a City team where no one other than Haaland has scored more than one Premier League goal this term.
Marmoush is likely to start at centre-forward as Haaland puts his feet up. Cherki, who Guardiola has used in a central attacking midfield role when available, scored 12 goals and laid on 20 assists in all competitions for Lyon last season.
Nico Gonzalez was only fit enough for the final half hour against Aston Villa after suffering a foot injury versus Villarreal. Guardiola will manage the Spain midfielder’s condition carefully, especially considering Rodri’s ongoing concerns.
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Man City injury list
Below is the latest injury picture for Man City, and estimated return dates for those who are sidelined.
Rodri
- Injury: Hamstring
- Expected return date: November 2, 2025
Spain midfielder Rodri has suffered a handful of injury setbacks since returning from ACL surgery.
Guardiola confirmed last weekend that he would miss the Villarreal and Villa matches. With a Carabao Cup trip to Swansea City offering a further chance for recuperation, in-form Bournemouth’s visit to the Etihad Stadium on November 2 is his likely target.
Abdukodir Khusanov
- Injury: Ankle
- Expected return date: October 29, 2025
Uzbekistan defender Khusanov has not featured since suffering an ankle injury during the 1-1 draw at Arsenal last month.
Guardiola opted not to risk him at Villa Park, but the looming threat of Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo next weekend means some minutes in South Wales would certainly be welcome.
Swansea vs. Man City match details
- Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2025
- Kickoff time: 7:45 p.m. local / 3:45 p.m. ET / 12:45 p.m. PT / 6:45 a.m. AEDT (Oct. 30)
- Location: Swansea.com Stadium, Swansea (Wales)
- Competition: Carabao Cup, fourth round
- Referee: Jarred Gillett
- VAR: n/a
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