Before the Championship match against Blackburn Rovers, Enzo Maresca will have a difficult time choosing his starting lineup in two positions.
After Ipswich drew with Huddersfield less than 24 hours prior, City go to Ewood Park hoping to reclaim first spot in the Championship standings. With a victory, Maresca’s team would widen the advantage at the top of the standings to two points.
City have been handed a blow before the game with the news that defender Callum Doyle has been ruled out for 12-16 weekswith a knee injury. The loanee has undergone surgeryand will now start his rehabilitation.
The team doesn’t have a clear substitute for the 19-year-old, so an injury to him is the “worst-case scenario,” according to Maresca. We have two players available for
Callum is left-footed, hence he is likely the only position where we only have one player. We’ll figure something out. We’ll modify
James Justin appears to be the preferred choice. Then, with Ricardo Pereira coming to midfield from the other side, the City manager must decide whether to start him on the right or left side.
Both have right feet and are therefore more comfortable on the right. Doyle was replaced by Justin, who performed well on the left against Bristol City in the second half and may continue to play there.
Who to play on the wings is the second significant Maresca selection issue. City currently has a variety of possibilities, in contrast to former years.
The current leading scorer, Kasey McAteer, scored again against Liverpool on Wednesday night. However, based on how they played against Bristol, Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu might just be chosen, especially given that Blackburn is an offensive team and their speed could be a threat. Although McAteer would consider himself unlucky to not be starting if that’s the case.
