Team News: Pep Guardiola makes five changes to Manchester City XI for Sporting Lisbon clash

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made five changes to his starting lineup for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Sporting Lisbon.

John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Joao Cancelo all return in defence, joining captain Ruben Dias, with the former replacing the suspended Kyle Walker at right-back. Nathan Ake and Oleksandr Zinchenko also drop out of the side.

Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri will start in a three-man midfield along with Bernardo Silva, with Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho to begin from the substitutes' bench.

📋 TEAM NEWS IS IN! 📋

XI | Ederson, Stones, Dias (C), Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Mahrez, Foden, Sterling

SUBS | Carson, Slicker, Ake, Gundogan, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Kayky, Delap, Mbete, McAtee, Lavia#ManCity | #UCL pic.twitter.com/JLJn0WHAdr

— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 15, 2022

Guardiola has named an unchanged attacking front three, with Raheem Sterling – last weekend's hat-trick hero against Norwich City – starting alongside Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez.

Academy graduates Liam Delap, Luke Mbete, James McAtee and Romeo Lavia all occupy a place on the bench, while there is no place in the matchday squad for Jack Grealish, Gabriel Jesus or Cole Palmer, who are all sidelined with injuries.