Man City can trial new tactics and test four new signings vs Barcelona

Pep Guardiola says he will use Manchester City's friendly at Barcelona to look at players who haven't played much so far this season, so that should mean a first run-out for new signing Sergio Gomez, who only signed last week and was an unused substitute at Newcastle.

Gomez started his career at Barcelona, so it would be a fitting place for him to make his City debut. The left-back has been signed to support Joao Cancelo, with a friendly game a good chance to see how he's fitting in at the Blues, as well as giving Cancelo a deserved rest. In the Premier League, Gomez may have had to wait for a start, whereas this charity game gives him an early chance to impress.

City only had two real pre-season games, with not everyone available in the USA, so while this friendly between Premier League fixtures may feel unhelpful it could alternatively provide Guardiola with a chance to experiment with tactics without risking any points. Key to those experiments should be two new signings that have so far been mostly overlooked, while Stefan Ortega, who looked good on his debut in the US, should get a rare game in goal, too.

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Kalvin Phillips can play alongside Rodri or Ilkay Gundogan, or on his own at the base of midfield, so this fixture should be a chance to test him against a good opposition for a full 90 minutes. Similarly, Julian Alvarez might have featured more than Phillips but could benefit from a full 90 minutes to further adapt to playing alone upfront, out wide, or even in a front two.

If Guardiola is giving priority to those who haven't played as much this season, then that opens the door for some young players to try and impress the boss on one of the