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Manchester City will ring the changes for the Carabao Cup tie at Swansea City tonight. The Blues were beaten 1-0 at Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday as their unbeaten run ended. But they will expect to bounce back in south Wales against the mid-table Championship opponents. Pep Guardiola is set to rest the likes of Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma while Rodri is not yet fit enough to feature despite returning to training. Abdukodir Khusanov is set to travel having recovered from injury but is unlikely to start. City are expected to hand a start to Mateo Kovacic for the first time this season while Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri are in line to make their first starts since August having recovered from injuries of their own. James Trafford will get the nod in goal and Ait-Nouri's inclusion at left back allows Nico O'Reilly a rest. Nathan Ake is likely to come in at centre back and could partner Ruben Dias given Josko Gvardiol looks a touch short of form and fitness. Rico Lewis has made no secret of his desire to feature more in midfield but right back looks his best avenue into the team at Swansea with Kovacic playing the holding role. Tijjani Reijnders has played plenty of minutes this season but could edge out O'Reilly for a start in the midfield. Oscar Bobb was poor at Villa but could be trusted with another start to show what he can offer while Cherki and Marmoush will come into the frontline. In Haaland's absence, Divine Mukasa - who started at Huddersfield in the last round - could lead the line. City predicted XI: Trafford, Lewis, Dias, Ake, Ait-Nouri, Kovacic, Reijnders, Cherki, Marmoush, Bobb, Mukasa --- Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .
