Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Kalvin Phillips will start for Manchester City in the club’s Carabao Cup fixture at Newcastle.
Phillips has struggled for regular first-team football since signing for City from Leeds in 2022 and has featured for just 45 minutes across two substitute appearances in the Premier League so far this season.
The England international is set to be given a chance on Wednesday evening however, as City travel to face Newcastle in the League Cup.
Rodri’s red card against Nottingham Forest means the midfielder will serve a three-game ban and Guardiola has confirmed that Phillips will be given chance to impress in the Spaniard’s absence.
“Yeah he will start,” Guardiola told his pre-match press conference.
“Jack [Grealish] is much better. Mateo [Kovacic] as well. I don’t know how many minutes but they on are going to play.”
On whether Rodri’s ban is a chance for Phillips to impress, Guardiola added: “Yeah of course but not just this week. For many times since he has arrived he has been really important. He knows everything in the game like what happened against Nottingham in the second half.
“You have to defend and make options that helps us boost the team [and] was important. We try to help him and make this step and of course the next games are important and we will see in every game what is best for the team.”
