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No mercy from Pep Guardiola with Kevin De Bruyne lined up to face Burton Albion in League Cup semi-final
Pep Guardiola will show Burton Albion no mercy on Wednesday night and has confirmed Kevin De Bruyne will be in the starting line-up at the Pirelli Stadium for the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.
Despite holding an unprecedented 9-0 lead from the first leg, De Bruyne will be on duty against the League One side.
While other key players such as Fernandinho and David Silva will have a night off after City’s busy recent schedule, Guardiola is keen to get more minutes into De Bruyne.
The Belgian has started only two Premier League games all season, having sustained two knee injuries during the campaign, and Sunday’s 3-0 win at Huddersfield was the first time he had played the whole 90 minutes.
So it is Guardiola’s intention to make sure his star midfielder is up to speed for the remainder of the campaign as City try to chase down Liverpool at the top of the league and make progress in the three cup competitions.
The Spaniard has never before entered a second leg with such an advantage and his team will be a mix of squad players short of action and promising youngsters.
Young centre-halves Eric Garcia and Philippe Sandler have made senior first-team debuts this season and should feature, while five others – Felix Nmecha, Luke Bolton, Iker Pozo, Taylor Richards and Ian Carlo Poveda – are in the travelling party.
“Some players need rhythm and are going to play,” Guardiola said. “The guys who’ve had a lot of games will rest. They will do what they need to be fit, but the ones who’ve not played too much or are back from long-term injuries are going to play.
“We are going to play some youngsters and some will be on the bench. Two or three will play and two, three or four on the bench, but Kevin is going to play.”
Guardiola revealed that French left-back Benjamin Mendy had recovered from his knee injury and should be fit to take his place as a substitute.
Mendy suffered the injury after the Manchester derby in November and has missed 16 games during the packed winter schedule, so his return is timely for his manager.
A member of France’s World Cup-winning squad last summer, he is a larger than life member of the City dressing room and is very active on social media, some of which has exasperated his manager.
However, Guardiola wants to focus on what the 24-year-old can bring on the pitch.
“I’m not unhappy about Mendy,” he said. “I’m not here to change his mentality because the way he lives is what it is. We knew that when we bought him.
“He’s active on social media and it is what it is. We’ve tried to convince him but I’m not his father. I am delighted with Benjamin but sad because he couldn’t play, but injuries can happen.
“But the way he trains, the way he is in the locker room, you cannot imagine how much the people love him and like to be with him. The only thing I want is that we can use him more. That’s what I want.
“We focus on the job and what he has to do. He is young and has incredible potential and he can be one of the best left-backs, but it depends on him.”