Having now recovered from back surgery, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is set to return to the touchline when his side visits West Ham United on Saturday. He had missed the last two matches, and taken leave of three weeks from the club, in order to have the emergency medical procedure.
Guardiola, who went back to his native Catalonia in order to get this done, will no doubt be asked about his own “match fitness” when the weekly press conference takes place on Friday.
#ManCity Injury Update! ?
Guardiola – 16th Sep
Stones – 16th Sep
Grealish – 16th Sep
De Bruyne – Jan 2024Pep, Stones and Grealish are all expected to return after int break. Ake is also available for Holland’s next match. pic.twitter.com/n46zflvwJZ
— City Chief (@City_Chief) September 10, 2023
West Ham vs Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Sept. 16, 3pm, London Stadium, London, UK
Starting XI Predictions Manchester City West Ham
Team News: Manchester City West Ham
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Position, Form: Manchester City 1st, 12 pts, WWWW West Ham 4th, 10 pts, WWWD
Google Result Probability: Manchester City 65% Draw 20% West Ham 15%
Man City Team News
Elsewhere, Kevin De Bruyne remains out long-term, with a hamstring injury. We won’t see him until December at the earliest, but more likely January. There is good news though with Nathan Ake, who created an injury
Finally, a pair of English internationals with thigh injuries have now healed up and are set to return here: John Stones and Jack Grealish (who just celebrated his 28th birthday at a 5k GBP a night log cabin)
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.