Haa still out but Rodri set to return
with the academy for now.
“Oscar [Bobb] is a first-team player, Micah for the second team. We need him but his place is there,” Guardiola said on Friday.
“But he’s really good and his impact in the game.”
With Hamilton and Mahamadou Susoho becoming the latest academy graduates to make their debuts for City – also becoming the 31st and 32nd favourites to retain the Premier League title – are 14/1 at Betfred to beat Crystal Palace 4-1 this afternoon with Phil Foden 5/1 to score the opener.
Mary Earps, who is already odds-on at Betfred to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, has reinforced her popularity with her England shirt selling out within hours of Nike U-turning on deciding to produce her replica kit.
Betfred have the Reds and Lionesses goalkeeper at 1/8 to pick up the prestigious individual sporting award at a ceremony in Salford next Tuesday.
The World Cup Golden Glove winner, who was also voted England Women’s Player of the Year, is ahead of another Nottingham-born youngsters to make their debut under Guardiola – the manager explained just how important the academy is to clubs like the Blues.
“All the big clubs, the academy is an important part of many things,” he explained. “We just see what happened in the last five or six years with academy players. They help us or they make a career away with good transfers for the club to help us be sustainable economically or financially.
“I know how important it is for our fans and our people to identify the young lads like Rico [Lewis], Phil [Foden], Micah coming from seven or eight or nine-years-old and being in the first team.
“It is something phenomenal. We continue to work on that and hopefully in future we can have more players in this.” sporting icon in Stuart Broad who also made the shortlist of six that will go before the public vote.
The legendary bowler, who retired from cricket earlier this year, is an 8/1 shot – while ever-popular jockey Frankie Dettori and Liverpool-based heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson are both 25/1.
Dettori, who has just returned from Down Under having taken part in the popular reality TV show I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, cost me £3.5m back in 1996 when he famously went through the card at Ascot.
We’ve had one significant bet of £300 on the Italian, which has seen him cut into joint third-favourite to win the award.
The biggest overall bet we’ve taken on the market was a customer in Derby who placed £650 on Earps when she was available at 4/5.
The other two names on the shortlist are golf ace Rory McIlroy and wheelchair tennis world number one Alfie Hewitt.
Both are 66/1 outsiders at Betfred.
It’s fair to say our men’s team are having a miserable campaign, so it is great that our women’s keeper Mary is well ahead to be named SPOTY .
The award is a major event in our sporting calendar and if Mary wins the public vote it gives further proof of the increasing popularity of women’s football.
CITY are back in Premier League action on Saturday as they host Crystal Palace at the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola’s side have recorded back-to-back wins in the past week, coming from behind to beat Luton Town before Wednesday’s 3-2 Champions League win at Crvena zvezda.
Strong as he may go, Guardiola could be forced to welcome Palace to the Etihad without Erling Haaland. The Norwegian missed the last two matches due to a ‘stress’ injury in his foot and returned from a brief break on Thursday evening.
His absence will likely see Julian Alvarez moved into his more natural No.9 position. The Argentinian has faded slightly in recent weeks but has been ever-present all season.
Jeremy Doku is also unavailable as he recovers from a muscular injury picked up in the 3-3 draw against Tottenham earlier this month. That will likely mean Jack Grealish keeps his place on the right-wing, with Phil Foden back in on the left.
Alvarez’s role change opens up the space he has filled behind the striker, and Guardiola is expected to move Bernardo Silva into the more advanced role. Mateo Kovacic got 76 minutes in Belgrade and could keep his place alongside the returning Rodri.
Manuel Akanji may be the only player to keep his place in the back-four, with John Stones potentially rested after playing 86 minutes in Serbia while Kyle Walker and Josko Gvardiol will come in for Rico Lewis and Sergio Gomez respectively. Ederson will return between the posts.