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Manchester City marched into the EFL Cup quarterfinals with a late 3-1 win over Swansea City.
Pep Guardiola rotated his team in South Wales with 10 starting changes from the 1-0 Premier League loss to Aston Villa.
Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush were amongst Guardiola's alterations as the pair look to build back to full fitness following injuries.
Marmoush's sharp finish pulled City 2-1 ahead, as the Egyptian registered his first goal of the campaign, before Cherki slotted home his first since the opening weekend in added time.
Both players will be huge assets for Guardiola moving into a busy few weeks across all competitions and thee Catalan coach is confident Marmoush can lighten the goalscoring burden on Erling Haaland.
However, the former Eintracht Frankfurt star was not the only name singled out, as Nico Gonzalez's role at the base of City's midfield was highlighted - as he continues to cover for Rodri's absence.
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"He's getting better and better. Now he's fundamental for us, Nico.
"Nico helps us a lot, especially on the ball. He moves much better into the right positions, he's much cleverer where the space is free.
"He's so young and a lovely guy. I'm really pleased because these type of players are incredibly coachable. They deserve the best."
Rodri has been eased back into action in the opening weeks of 2025/26, after an ACL tear ended his previous campaign, but a thigh issue has kept him out of City's last four games.
Guardiola is expected to make a late call on his readiness to return ahead of a key league clash with Bournemouth on November 2.
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