Pep Guardiola’s team selection at Leyton Orient this weekend will offer plenty of clues for how he views his squad for the remainder of the season.. City make the trip to the capital heavy favourites to book a spot in the fifth round of the FA Cup against their League One hosts. It will likely see Guardiola make changes to the side =, particularly given the looming Champions League showdown with Real Madrid on Tuesday night.. City will be targeting both cup competitions now their Premier League title challenge has faded. And while Guardiola will not be under-estimating the threats Orient could pose, rotating the squad in the middle of a hectic February schedule makes sense.. Those senior stars who do not play will likely form part of the side against Madrid and therefore be considered the core of the first choice XI for the rest of the campaign. Guardiola afforded opportunities for several fringe players in the last round when City cruised past Salford City 8-0. James McAtee scored a hat-trick that night and will be eyeing a starting spot this weekend.. The 22-year-old was the subject of interest from several clubs in the January transfer window but Guardiola opted to keep the midfielder at the Etihad despite limiting his game-time this season. McAtee has yet to start a league or Champions League fixture despite City’s struggles in both competitions in recent months. He impressed off the bench against Leicester City in the top flight last month ahead of his treble against Salford.. Orient is the perfect chance for Guardiola to hand the academy graduate a start and with it make good on his talk of how important a player he sees the Salford-born star.. “We have a World Cup at the end of the season, we have a lot of games. I think he can play more minutes, he has to fight and I am really pleased for Macca,” said the City boss.. “I understand the frustration, absolutely. I was a football player, I have incredible empathy to feel what he can feel. But the same happens for other players and they have to be ready.. “We don’t want anyone unsatisfied, you know my opinion on that. In the middle of a season with the problems that we had, I have a feeling that we need him, I need him, it’s simple.”. Saturday will show just how much Guardiola feels he needs him.
