Man City hand three debuts as holders start cup defence against Norwich
Holders Manchester City started their Carabao Cup defence against Norwich City at the Etihad Stadium on 17 September.
Kick-off in the third-round tie was set for 19:30 UK time. The winners will host Brighton in the fourth round, Manchester City confirmed.
City arrived as League Cup holders and with rotation promised. Enzo Maresca said before the game that City will make changes for the tie, Manchester City reported.
The teamsheet showed how far he went. City started with Rulli, Lewis, Khusanov, Vitor Reis, O'Reilly, Bouaddi, Kovacic, Allan, Cherki, Ait Nouri and Floyd Samba. Mateo Kovacic captained the side.
The bench was Donnarumma, Anderson, Guehi, Ndiaye, Fernandez, Matheus Luiz, Semenyo, McAidoo and Braithwaite. All line-up details were published in The Guardian live blog.
Three of the starters made their City debuts. Goalkeeper Gero Rulli came in. So did Allan and Floyd Samba.
Allan is a Brazilian winger signed for £34m in the summer of 2026. Samba is different. He is a 17-year-old academy midfielder making the jump to the first team.
Samba is the son of former Blackburn defender Christopher Samba. He scored 17 goals and made six assists in 24 appearances for City's academy sides last season. He is an England Under-17 international, eligible for France and Congo through his father and Germany through his mother.
Norwich also shuffled heavily. They made nine changes from the side beaten 4-3 at Middlesbrough.
Their starting team was Grimshaw, Fisher, Darling, Bruno Alves, Yongwa, Wright, Field, Crnac, Ben Slimane, Diallo and Kvistgaarden. The substitutes were Kovacevic, Stacey, McConville, Chrisene, Mattsson, Maghoma, Schwartau, Musaba and Toure.
Jacob Wright kept his place after impact off the bench at Middlesbrough. He scored a goal and provided an assist in that defeat before starting in Manchester.
The Carabao Cup is English football's midweek knockout cup, played alongside the league season. For holders, the early rounds are often a test of squad depth. For Championship visitors, it is a free hit and a night out.
History favoured City. They had won 39 of 72 meetings with Norwich before this tie, including each of the last three.
Ruebyn Ricardo from Leicestershire was the referee, with James Mainwaring and Richard Woodward as assistants. In the UK the tie was scheduled for live coverage on Sky Sports+, with BBC Sport also listing live coverage from 19:00.
What makes this stand out is the mix. A holder protecting a trophy, a £34m winger starting fresh, and a 17-year-old stepping out for the first time. That is the cup at its best.
