Manchester City take on local rivals Manchester United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final this evening at Old Trafford. Both clubs have lifted the trophy in the past four seasons, with the Sky Blues having won the three of those and the previous two consecutively. It means that Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in the competition since October 2016, a run of 15 matches, and to keep that record going and eclipse Chelsea’s streak of 18 games unbeaten in the tournament the Spanish manager has a decision to make between the sticks.
So far this campaign, Claudio Bravo has started all three of Manchester City’s League Cup fixtures, conceding just two goals in three games. Admittedly though, two of those fixtures have come against lower league opposition in the form of Preston North End and Oxford United. But Guardiola may feel that this occasion is too great of a responsibility to rely upon his second-choice goalkeeper, especially considering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side beat City last time the two teams met.
In the Premier League this season so far, Bravo has averaged a clean sheet every four appearances. In contrast, Ederson has kept the opposition out every three matches on average, though the Brazilian goalkeeper is helped by having played over four times the number of games. But further proof that Ederson is rightfully number one comes from the fact he has conceded just under a goal per game, 17 in 18 matches, while Bravo has leaked 1.75 per game. However, the Chilean, who has a reputation for being error-prone, is yet to make a mistake leading to a goal this season, while Ederson has made one.
Further evidence to suggest Bravo may be up to the task is that both goalkeepers have averaged around two saves per game in the Premier League this campaign, so the reason Bravo has conceded more may be down to the defenders in front of him. Another stat counting against Ederson is the number of cards he has picked up this season. So far, he has accumulated three yellows and a red in the Premier League, getting sent off against Manchester United could be catastrophic so he will have to be on his best behaviour, should he start.
There are arguments for playing either keeper in this crucial cup tie for Manchester City, but to keep the squad happy and his second choice goalkeeper match fit, Guardiola might be wise to continue to use Bravo in the Carabao Cup.
