Injuries, illness and suspension were always going to force Pep Guardiola's hand when it came to his team selection for Manchester City's Champions League tie against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday, but few will have expected him to take the gamble he has.
City only have 14 fit senior players for the second leg of their round-of-16 tie, with just three of those being defenders. The Blues hold a healthy 5-0 advantage from the first leg in Portugal, so Guardiola was expected to name a much-changed starting XI.
To a certain extent he has; with Kyle Walker serving a three-match suspension and Joao Cancelo ruled out through illness, 19-year-old right-back CJ Egan-Riley will make his second appearance for the club, building on the 90 minutes he got against Wycombe in the Carabao Cup last September.
