Man City vs. Brentford confirmed lineups: Haaland benched as Guardiola makes seven changes for EFL Cup quarter-final

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made a total of seven changes to his starting lineup for tonight’s EFL Cup quarter-final clash with Brentford at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola revealed at his pre-match press conference that he would be rotating his team following last weekend’s 3-0 Premier League win at Crystal Palace.

The headline name who is not starting against Brentford is top scorer Erling Haaland, who netted the only goal in Man City’s slender 1-0 success away against the Bees in the top flight earlier this season.

Haaland, who also scored twice against Palace last time out, drops down to the substitutes’ bench along with Gianluigi Donnarumma, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden.

Nico Gonzalez is one of four players who retains his starting spot along with Nico O’Reilly, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, the former of whom is handed his 12th successive start in midfield in all competitions.

James Trafford is handed a rare start in goal and will be protected by a back four including O’Reilly, Nathan Ake, Abdukodir Khusanov and Rico Lewis.

While Gonzalez and Reijnders link up in the middle of the pitch, Cherki, Oscar Bobb and Savinho will all provide support in the final third for 18-year-old academy starlet Divine Mukasa, who could operate in a false-nine role tonight.

Schade returns to Brentford XI, Thiago, Henderson left out of squad

As for Brentford, head coach Keith Andrews has made a total of six changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Leeds United in the Premier League last weekend.

Star striker Igor Thiago, the Premier League’s second-top goalscorer behind Haaland with 11 strikes, is left out of the squad entirely along with midfielder Jordan Henderson and Dango Ouattara, the latter of whom is now away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Burkina Faso.

Goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson, who saved two penalties in Brentford’s shootout triumph over Aston Villa in round three of the EFL Cup, returns to start between the sticks at the expense of Caoimhin Kelleher.

Rico Henry replaces Aaron Hickey and is set to start as a left wing-back in a five-man defence alongside Kristoffer Ajer, Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg and Michael Kayode, while Yehor Yarmolyuk is recalled to start alongside Mathias Jensen and Vitaly Janelt in centre-midfield.

Kevin Schade also returns to the first XI after serving a suspension last time out, and he is set to led the line in the absence of Thiago, with Mikkel Damsgaard recalled to provide support in an advanced midfield role.

Manchester City starting lineup: Trafford; Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, O'Reilly; Gonzalez, Reijnders; Bobb, Cherki, Savinho; Mukasa

Subs: Donnarumma, Dias, Haaland, Bernardo, Gvardiol, Nunes, Foden, Gray, Mfuni

Brentford starting lineup: Valdimarsson; Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Ajer, Henry; Jensen, Yarmoliuk, Janelt; Damsgaard; Schade

Subs: Kelleher, Hickey, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter, Peart-Harris, Konak, Donovan, Arthur, Nunes