Swansea City vs Manchester City Prediction 29.10.2025 | EFL Cup

Swansea City finally ended their miserable five-game home run without a win (D3 L2) this weekend, sailing to a 2-1 victory over Norwich on the back of Vipotnik’s brace, providing a perfect warm-up ahead of the arrival of the English giants.

Still, the Swans have been far from a reliable side this season, as shown by their Championship record of W4 D4 L4 from the opening 12 fixtures, leaving them in mid-table, though there is some comfort in the fact that they are only three points shy of the playoff places.

When it comes to the EFL Cup, Alan Sheehan’s side may have needed a penalty shootout to get past their first hurdle against Plymouth, but they more than made up for it in the Round 2, thrilling with their performance and fighting spirit as they toppled Nottingham Forest in a five-goal thriller.

The encouraging news for the Welsh club is that they will face Pep Guardiola’s formidable team at full strength, with 30-year-old centre-back Ricardo Santos the only notable absence.

Meanwhile, Manchester City seemed to have found their spark in recent weeks, putting together a nine-game unbeaten run across all competitions (W7 D2), but that momentum came to a halt this weekend as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Villa Park.

One of the seven victories they recorded during that unbeaten run came in the EFL Cup earlier this season, where the Citizens comfortably cleared their opening hurdle against Huddersfield, scoring once in each half to seal a 2–0 final result.

Having lifted the EFL Cup six times between 2013 and 2021, Manchester City have struggled to replicate that same level of success in recent editions, with the quarter-finals being their furthest point, but they now appear determined to reverse that trend and push for the ultimate prize once again.

Aware that his team is battling on several fronts right now, Pep Guardiola is expected to make plenty of changes to his starting XI, giving chances to some squad players and youngsters, with James Trafford set to replace Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal.