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Manchester City fans have questioned Pep Guardiola's decision not to start Julian Alvarez and Kalvin Phillips in his side's match with BSC Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League.
The Cityzens clash with the Swiss team at Wankdorf Stadium tonight (October 25) looking to continue their perfect start to the campaign. Guardiola's treble winners have beaten Red Star Belgrade 3-1 and RB Leipzig 3-1.
Manchester City are heavy favorites to beat Young Boys and many expected to see Phillips start amid his lack of game time. The English midfielder has started just two of five games across competitions this season.
Bayern Munich and Liverpool are reportedly keeping tabs on the 27-year-old who joined City in July 2022. His lack of a starting role tonight suggests his days at the Etihad are numbered.
Phillips' omission isn't the only one that has riled fans as they wanted to see the in-form Alvarez in action from the get-go tonight.
Alvarez has perhaps been Manchester City's top performer this season, bagging seven goals and five assists in 14 games across competitions. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner is the Cityzens' top scorer in the Champions League so far this season, with three goals and one assist in two games.
However, the Argentine attacker settles for a place on the bench as does Phillips. Guardiola has opted to go with Ederson in goal, with Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, and Nathan Ake in defense.
Meanwhile, Rodri is joined in midfield by Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes, with Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku in attack with Erling Haaland. It's a strong lineup chosen from Guardiola despite their derby clash with Manchester United on Sunday (October 29).
One fan reckons Phillips is bound to depart City in January as he's missed out on another start:
"Phillips can’t even get a start against Young Boys . I reckon he leaves in January honestly, it’s actually an insult at this point."
Another fan isn't watching the Cityzens due to Alvarez's absence from the starting XI:
"No Alvarez? TV off."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Guardiola's decision not to start the duo:
Shaun Wright-Phillips backs Manchester City to beat Manchester United
Manchester City square off with their cross-city rivals in the first Manchester derby of the season this weekend. Guardiola's side are second in the league, two points behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag's Red Devils have started the season poorly, sitting eighth in the Premier League table. They did manage to beat the Cityzens 2-1 at Old Trafford last season.
Former Manchester City attacker Shaun Wright-Phillips expects his former club to prevail. He told Ladbrokes (via Metro):
"I do see City winning. I don’t think United will play as bad as they have been doing recently though but I think City win 3-1."
The last time the Manchester rivals played against each other was the FA Cup final last season. City came out on top in that game, winning 2-1 to clinch their second trophy en route to a continental treble.
