Debut For Muric as Szmodics and Johnson Start - Ipswich Town News
Aro Muric is handed his Town debut in goal and Sammie Szmodics and Ben Johnson their first Blues starts as the Blues face champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.
Ex-City youngster Muric replaces Christian Walton in goal, the former Brighton man having deputised against Liverpool last week due to the Kosovo international having suffered a calf injury, having signed from Burnley earlier in the summer.
Johnson comes in for Wes Burns, who has a hamstring injury, wide on the right but in a more defensive role than the Welshman, while Szmodics comes in for Conor Chaplin, who is on the bench.
New loan signing Jens Cajuste is on the bench, as is Manchester City fan and one-time trialist George Edmundson.
City are unchanged from the team which won 2-0 at Chelsea last week with Phil Foden not in the squad due to illness, while Rodri remains absent having suffered a hamstring during the Euros. Returning midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is on the bench.
Manchester City: Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Kovacic, De Bruyne (c), Bernardo, Savinho, Doku, Haaland. Subs: Ortega Moreno, Walker, Stones, Ake, Grealish, Gundogan, Nunes, Kabore, McAtee.
Town: Muric, Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis, Morsy (c), Luongo, Johnson, Szmodics, Hutchinson, Delap. Subs: Walton, Edmundson, Burgess, Townsend, Cajuste, Taylor, Harness, Chaplin, Al-Hamadi. Referee: Michael Salisbury (Preston). VAR official: David Coote.
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