Pep Guardiola says he does not yet know who he will have available for Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth.
City went into Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie away at Tottenham without six first-team players, with Rodri, Oscar Bobb, Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish all sidelined through injury.
We then lost defender Manuel Akanji with a calf issue in the warmup, before forward Savinho was taken off on a stretcher midway through the second-half with what appeared to be a swollen ankle.
Guardiola said after the game he had just 13 senior players available, with City ending the match in North London with Academy graduates James McAtee, Nico O’Reilly, Jacob Wright and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey all on the pitch chasing an equaliser to force penalties.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth, Guardiola said he will need to assess who is available and make his team selection as late as possible.
“Tomorrow you will know,” he said.
“You will see from the list. I have many doubts. Tomorrow, you will know it.
“We are not the only team in football to have injuries. We have a lot, but it is what it is. We concern ourselves. The challenge is that and we will play with 11 players.
“When the squad is together it is top. Everyone is focused and fit.
“But at certain moments, I remember Liverpool had a lot of injuries and they struggled. But we have to adapt and focus on tomorrow.
“It is what it is. We know the situation but what can we do? Try to recover as quickly as possible our players and we will see.”
Asked whether he felt any players would be in line for a return ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League match at Sporting Lisbon, Guardiola was equally non-committal.
“I don’t know,” he said. “We will see tomorrow when we wake up and I will talk with some players about how they feel and the doctors. So [we are taking things] day by day.”
Belgium
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