Pep Guardiola made four changes to his
Manchester City side to face Crystal Palace, hinting at the players who could be in line to face Real Madrid. Phil Foden, hat-trick hero against Aston Villa, dropped out at Selhurst Park, as did Manu Akanji, Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku. The first three of that group will be confident of starting at the Bernabeu - Akanji has been preferred in the bigger games recently such as at Anfield and against Arsenal. Guardiola said he would have 'loved' to have played Foden, but pointed to his workload in recent weeks, including two starts for
England, and the upcoming trip to Madrid as reason for him having to sit this one out. "It was difficult. Not just him. All the guys as a manager when you don't allow players to play it's tough," Guardiola explained pre-match. "But there are a lot of games. ALSO READ: Man City player ratings vs Crystal Palace as Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne star ALSO READ:
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Real Madrid nerves "The game Phil plays vs
Arsenal, plays 96 minutes in friendly game with national team. There are a lot of games, we decide for that. If we win, it's a great decision. If we lose, why did I do that? "I thought a lot to let them [Foden and De Bruyne] play [together]. After we arrive early to Manchester back, then to Madrid. I'd love to have Phil on the pitch, I'm not stupid, I like to see him. A lot of games, a lot of players." Guardiola said the schedule was the reason he dropped Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne against Aston Villa, with both returning against Palace along with John Stones. Ederson was back from injury but Stefan Ortega retained the gloves, meaning there could still be a surprise starting spot for Ortega up for grabs on Tuesday. Josko Gvardiol's booking, mixed performance and injury knock ensured he was replaced at half-time against Palace, and his involvement against Real Madrid may now be in doubt. It also saw Akanji brought on ahead of schedule when Guardiola may have preferred to have given him a full afternoon off. Akanji played some of City's biggest games last season at left-back, including at the Bernabeu in the semi-final first leg, so might have played his way into the line-up again this year. But that would mean another rethink at right-back assuming Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker are not fit. After De Bruyne's assist and second goal put City three goals in front in a dominant second half, that was the signal for Guardiola to withdraw Rodri with 20 minutes remaining, cementing his starting spot against Carlo Ancelotti's side. He also took off Alvarez, which may reflect his game time recently, but surely De Bruyne or Haaland would have been wiser players to replace ahead of the midweek game. Alvarez still may not be guaranteed to start in
Spain even though he was withdrawn, but crucially, Foden remained firmly on the bench and Bernardo was only used in injury time - and they must both return on Tuesday. De Bruyne's return to the goals and Haaland's latest strike would back up the safe bet that they will play, with Stones and Ruben Dias two others to come through unscathed so should play if fit - although the defensive combinations will depend a lot on who is fit and who isn't. Another bright Jack Grealish performance hauls him back into contention having looked out of the picture when the draw was made - he was involved in all four goals but did not have an assist to show for it. There are still some difficult decisions to be made, but the spine of the Madrid team is starting to take shape.