Manchester City vs Norwich City: Carabao Cup Match Preview, Team News & Prediction

Manchester City welcome Norwich City to the Etihad Stadium on Thursday night in the third round of the Carabao Cup. City begin their defence of the competition after receiving a bye into the third round, while Norwich have already beaten MK Dons and Cardiff City to reach this stage.

City are in excellent form, having won their opening five matches across all competitions. Their latest result was a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the derby, with Erling Haaland scoring the decisive goal. Enzo Maresca is expected to rotate his squad for the cup tie, giving several players with fewer minutes an opportunity.

Norwich come into the match after a dramatic 4-3 Championship defeat to Middlesbrough. Philippe Clement's team have shown attacking potential this season, but facing the reigning Carabao Cup holders at the Etihad represents a major test.

Match Details

Match	Manchester City vs Norwich City
Competition	Carabao Cup – Third Round
Date	Thursday, September 17, 2026
Venue	Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Kick-off	7:30 PM BST / 12:00 AM IST
Managers	Enzo Maresca vs Philippe Clement

Key Players

Manchester City – Erling Haaland: Haaland scored the winner against Manchester United and remains City's main goal threat. Even with rotation, his presence could make the difference.

Manchester City – Rayan Cherki: Cherki has made an impressive start to the season and could receive another opportunity to influence the attack.

Norwich – Jovon Makama: The young forward scored against Middlesbrough and will be looking to trouble City's rotated defence.

Norwich – Jacob Wright: The former City academy player could feature against his old club after joining Norwich permanently in 2025.

Team News

City will rotate heavily, with goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli expected to make his debut. Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Rico Lewis could also start. Phil Foden is suspended following his red card in the Manchester derby, while Jeremy Doku is doubtful with a calf problem.

Norwich are without Gabriel Forsyth, Mirko Topic, Ali Ahmed and Lucien Mahovo because of injuries.

What to Watch

The main battle will be Norwich's attacking ambition against City's ability to control the game with a heavily rotated lineup. Norwich cannot afford to give City space around the box, while the visitors will need to make the most of their chances on the counter.

City have also dominated recent meetings, winning the last three encounters with Norwich by an aggregate score of 14-0.

Who Has the Chance?

Norwich have already shown their ability to progress through the cup, but City have considerable squad depth and home advantage. Even with several regular starters rested, Maresca has plenty of attacking options available.

Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Norwich City

Norwich should compete well during the opening stages, but City's quality and depth should eventually tell. A comfortable home victory would put the defending champions into the fourth round.