Manchester City will begin their defence of the EFL Cup when they welcome Championship side Norwich City to the Etihad Stadium on Thursday evening, September 17, 2026.
The match comes at 9:30 pm EAT, with City looking to extend their winning run to six matches across all competitions.
The reigning League Cup holders have enjoyed a productive opening to the campaign after recovering from their Community Shield defeat to Arsenal. They currently sit second in the Premier League with 12 points from four matches and also opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Porto.
Manchester City’s latest success came in dramatic fashion as they edged Manchester United 1-0 in the derby on Sunday. Erling Haaland’s goal proved decisive in a match overshadowed by controversy surrounding the decision to allow the strike to stand.
The Citizens have considerable history in this competition, having won the League Cup nine times. Their most recent triumph came last season when they defeated Arsenal 2-0 in the final.
Norwich, meanwhile, arrive in Manchester after a mixed start to their Championship campaign. Their latest outing ended in a 4-3 defeat against Middlesbrough, leaving Philippe Clement’s team 12th in the second-tier standings with nine points.
The Canaries have recorded three league victories and suffered four defeats from their opening seven matches. Their route to the third round has included victories over MK Dons and Cardiff City, winning 4-1 and 2-1 respectively.
Norwich have nevertheless won four of their last six matches in all competitions. However, their recent record against City makes for difficult reading. They have lost their last three meetings with the Manchester club, conceding 14 goals without scoring.
The most recent encounter between the sides ended in a 4-0 City victory in February 2022.
Team news
Manchester City will have to cope without Phil Foden, who is suspended after receiving a red card during Sunday’s Manchester derby.
Jeremy Doku is also a major doubt because of a calf problem, with City unlikely to take unnecessary risks with the Belgium international in a cup fixture.
Rotation is expected from Enzo Maresca, giving several squad players an opportunity to feature. Goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and Allan could make their City debuts, while Vitor Reis, Rico Lewis, Mateo Kovacic, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Iliman Ndiaye are among those pushing for starting places.
Norwich have several injury concerns of their own. Gabriel Forsyth, Mirko Topic, Ali Ahmed and Lucien Mahovo are all expected to miss the trip because of knee injuries.
Daniel Grimshaw is in line to start in goal as Norwich City make changes for the cup encounter.
Mohamed Toure has been one of Norwich’s standout performers this season, finding the net five times in seven appearances. However, Clement could opt to give the 22-year-old a rest by naming him among the substitutes.
Predicted Manchester City XI
Rulli; Khusanov, Reis, Guehi, Lewis; Kovacic, Bouaddi; Allan, Ndiaye, Semenyo; Haaland.
Predicted Norwich City XI
Grimshaw; Stacey, McConville, Cordoba, Chrisene; Wright, Mattsson; Maghoma, Schwartau, Musaba; Makama.
Manchester City enter the contest as overwhelming favourites based on their current form, squad depth and recent record against Norwich. The visitors will need an outstanding performance to prevent the holders from reaching the fourth round.
