Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has a massive double injury blow on his hands in the back line. Both Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol are set to be sidelined for some time, due to injury.
“Apparently, it doesn’t look good – we will see tomorrow,” Guardiola said yesterday.
“I think they will be on the sidelines for a few weeks.”
Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion FYIs
Kickoff: Wed. Jan 7, 7:30pm, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
Google Result Probability: Manchester City win 70% Draw 17% Brighton win 13%
Man City Team News
Let’s start with Gvardiol, whom we learned earlier on today, is actually going to be sidelined for much longer than just a few weeks.
As we learned on Monday, Little Pep sustained a tibial fracture, and the situation will require surgery in order to correct it. Having that procedure will rule him out for a few months, so it is not a stretch to say that his 2025-26 season could be done.
Moving on to Dias, we don’t really know what’s going on with him as of yet, so it’s hard to say when he might be back.
He did publish this post on social media though:
View this post on Instagram
So he’s going to be sidelined for awhile. As are Mateo Kovacic and Savinho for that matter. Oscar Bobb and John Stones could be back later on this month, while Nico Gonzalez might be in contention to feature against Brighton.
And then finally, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush remain away at AFCON. So when you consider all of that…
Guardiola is going to have some issues in selection on Wednesday night, to say the least.
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 USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.