Josko Gvardiol was fit enough to make the matchday squad for the Manchester City derby today, but he did not feature off the bench. Now, with a home match against FC Copenhagen coming in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, he could get major minutes.
That leaves only one fitness concern right now- Jack Grealish, who is all but ruled out for the next match.
UCL Round of 16, Leg 2 of 2, FYIs
Kickoff: Wed. Mar. 6, 8 pm, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
Aggregate: Man City 3, FC Copenhagen 1
Manchester City Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Result Probability: FC Copenhagen 5% Draw 10% Manchester City 85%
City manager Pep Guardiola has a nearly fully fit squad, and that is key given what’s ahead for him and his side. Taking on the Danish champions, who hail from the capital city of Denmark, provides a good opportunity to do some squad rotation. Nursing a 3-1 lead on aggregate, and sandwiched in between the two hugely emotional matches against their two biggest rivals, this clash takes a step down in significance.
Coming off a crazy Manchester derby comeback, and with one eye on the Premier League title implicating battle at Liverpool on Sunday, Wednesday night could go a tad overlooked.
Then you also have a major match, with huge ramifications, at the end of the month against Arsenal. In other words, it is crunch time for Guardiola and City.
“It is about us,” Pep said.
“We can’t control what Liverpool or Arsenal, Aston Villa or other contenders do, it is about us. We do what we have to do to win today, next Wednesday and Sunday. This team is legendary.
“Will we do it? I don’t know. We have today more points at this stage than last season.
“The difference is Liverpool have I don’t know how many more points than this stage last season. When the opponent is behaving like this, what can I say, congratulations so far. We will continue to try game by game.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.