Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Manchester City’s second choice goalkeeper, Claudio Bravo, will be between the sticks for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal.
Since joining City from Barcelona in 2016, Bravo has made just 38 appearances for the Sky Blues. Only one of those has come in the Premier League this season as Ederson, who signed from Benfica in June, has swiftly taken over as no.1.
It seems, though, that Bravo could become an unlikely hero later this month as Pep has confirmed he will be starting in goal for the League Cup final against Arsenal.
“We are in the Carabao Cup Final thanks to him, so he is going to play. I cannot forget what happened against Wolves,” said Pep, reports the Evening Standard.
“All the top clubs need two good keepers. You cannot survive with just one. He might be injured or suspended.”
1No.2 for a reason
Pep confirming that Bravo will be rewarded with game time in the Carabao Cup final means that Arsenal will have faced a back-up City shot-stopper in every round of the League Cup this term. It is also a boost for Arsenal, albeit a minor one.
During Bravo’s 38 appearances for City, he’s kept 12 clean sheets. This means he only keeps a clean sheet 31.6% of the time. The 34-year-old has also conceded 40 goals – 1.05 goals per game.
In two games against Arsenal, he’s conceded three.
Meanwhile, Ederson has kept 16 clean sheets in 34 games, so he keeps a clean sheet 47% of the time. What’s more, he’s only conceded 25 goals. That’s 0.74 goals per game.
Although City are on fire this season, from an Arsenal fan’s perspective, I’d much rather Arsene Wenger’s side face them with Bravo in goal than Ederson.
As mentioned earlier, after the final, Arsenal will have faced a back-up City keeper in every round of the League Cup this season, so they’ve had a strange influence on our campaign.
Here are the keepers Arsenal will have faced:
- Doncaster Rovers: Ian Lawlor
- Norwich City: Angus Gunn
- West Ham: Joe Hart
- Chelsea: Willy Caballero
- City: Claudio Bravo
Next, how City fans feel about the decision…