Pep Guardiola: Man City won't field an academy team for FA Cup

City have drawn their last three Premier League matches, dropping six points and falling six points behind leaders Arsenal, while their eight-match winning run in all competitions has come to an end.

Guardiola acknowledged the results have been frustrating, but pointed to injuries as a more damaging factor than the end of the winning streak.

Significant setbacks in 2026 to key figures such as Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Savinho have further stretched an already small squad, leaving many available players having featured in almost all of the last 10 matches.

City travel to League One side Exeter City in the FA Cup on Saturday, a fixture that could offer opportunities for academy players without compromising the importance of winning the tie.

Guardiola confirmed City will not field a team stacked entirely with youngsters, but several are expected to feature as he balances workload and momentum.

"No. A few of them but not much," he said, when asked if his team will be filled with academy players. "We have to come back to winning games and the FA Cup is the FA Cup.

"I have to see who they are. I don't want to ask what they have to do, I want to see who they are - and after we will see. It is not about the skills, not just skills. It is about many things."

Typically, four academy players train regularly with the first team, but that number has risen to six or seven over the past month due to injuries.

Guardiola has already handed out several debuts this season, with Divine Mukasa emerging as a standout. Charlie Gray, Reigan Heskey and Jaden Heskey have featured in the Carabao Cup, while Max Alleyne started against Brighton in midweek after being recalled from a loan spell at Watford.

James Trafford, Rico Lewis and other fringe players are likely to start against Exeter, with Stephen Mfuni and Ryan McAidoo also in contention for senior debuts. 

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