Manchester City to start three academy graduates in Carabao Cup tie

Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca says three academy graduates will feature in the Carabao Cup third round against Norwich City, offering youth a chance ahead of a busy schedule.

Manchester City will hand first-team opportunities to three academy graduates in their Carabao Cup third-round tie against Norwich City on Thursday. Manager Enzo Maresca confirmed the involvement of Kaden Braithwaite, Floyd Samba and Ryan McAidoo as he plans to rotate his squad.

"These three work with us regularly, every day, unless sometimes they go with the EDS because they need to play," Maresca told reporters. "But they’re going to be involved."

The 46-year-old manager is expected to rest key players like Erling Haaland ahead of a Premier League match against Sunderland this weekend. With further games against Arsenal, Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona on the horizon, the cup fixture offers a chance to assess young talent. Seventeen-year-old forward Floyd Samba, who has 29 goals and 11 assists in 58 youth-team appearances, is one player Maresca is keen to see. "I am sure Floyd will get first-team minutes soon, especially if he impresses against Norwich," he added.

For Norwich, the match arrives amid a mixed start to their Championship campaign. David Wagner's side currently sit 14th in the table with nine points from seven games, having won three and lost four. They head to the Etihad Stadium on the back of a dramatic 4-3 loss at Middlesbrough last Friday, where Mohamed Toure, J. Makama and Jacob Wright were on the scoresheet.

Recent history heavily favours the hosts. Norwich's famous 3-2 win over City in 2019 has been followed by heavy defeats, including a 4-0 thrashing at Carrow Road in 2022 where Raheem Sterling scored a perfect hat-trick. The Canaries have also suffered consecutive 5-0 losses away to the Premier League champions.

Maresca, who has recently fielded a stronger side including big-money signings Enzo Fernandez and Elliot Anderson, stressed the competition's importance. "It's one more competition. We need to compete in all competitions, so we're going to try to do our best, and then we'll see where we finish," he said.

Norwich will be without injured trio Ali Ahmed, Lucien Mahovo and Mirko Topić for the cup clash. Their focus then swiftly returns to league action, with a home game against Bolton scheduled for next Sunday, a fixture listed on our fixtures schedule. Top scorer Mohamed Toure, with four goals this season, will be hoping to lead the line.