Silva, Gvardiol And Stones To Start | 4-1-4-1 Manchester City Predicted Lineup Vs Villarreal

Manchester City will clash heads with Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica on Tuesday night as they look to secure a good result on the road in the UEFA Champions League. The Mancunian giants managed to secure a solid 2-0 win over Everton recently, which should keep them in good spirits ahead of this game.

Pep Guardiola will opt for the 4-1-4-1 formation and is expected to make a handful of changes to his first XI for this clash. Bernardo Silva, Josko Gvardiol and John Stones could all play from the start of this game.

4-1-4-1 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Villarreal

Defence

Gianluigi Donnarumma will play in goal for Man City after keeping a clean sheet in his last outing. Josko Gvardiol will function alongside John Stones at the heart of Guardiola’s defence as they look to keep a good shape on the defensive end of the field.

Matheus Nunes will try to impress as the right-back, while Nico O’Reilly hopes to prove his worth on the other flank as the left-back. Both of them will have to pick and choose their moments to join in on the attack.

Ruben Dias will provide cover for the defensive positions on the bench.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 18: Erling Haland of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Everton at Etihad Stadium on October 18, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Midfield

Nico Gonzalez will serve as the holding midfielder for Man City, while Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva operate just ahead of him as the box-to-box midfielders.

Oscar Bobb would try to shine as the right-winger. Jeremy Doku will get the nod to put his pace to good use on the left flank. Both of them will try to get in behind the Villarreal backline at every chance they get.

Tijjani Reijnders, Savio and Mateo Kovacic will have to settle for a place on the bench as they wait for their chance to make an impact in the second 45 minutes if needed.

Attack

Erling Haaland will lead the line for Man City in the final third. He scored twice against Everton and would fancy his chances of finding the back of the net once again in midweek.

Omar Marmoush will be available for selection on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the final quarter of the game if Man City are in need of a goal by then.