Manchester City need just four points to clinch the Premier League title, and once they get there it will mark the fourth time in five seasons that they have won this specific trophy. But in order to get there, Pep Guardiola and his side will need to overcome a genuine injury crisis in the back. Nathan Ake is the only central defender that is currently close to full fitness, and he’s still just semi-fit.
Aymeric Laporte and Fernandinho got hurt in the 5-1 rout of Wolves on Wednesday, and here is what the gaffer had to say of their status at his presser just now.
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Guardiola said: “They are in treatment, two days. We will see tomorrow, which players can play on Sunday. Until the day of the game, we will not be able to decide.
“I said many times we have to handle these absences. If it was many months a big problem but one or two games. We saw against Wolves, we get through.”
Fernandinho, set to leave the club at the end of the season, is a holding midfielder who had to shift to the back line out of need. With the Brazilian out, we saw a similar situation, with Rodri doing the same for the final 10 minutes against Wolves.
He could be called up on to do so again here.
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction at West Ham United
Ederson; Cancelo, Ake, Rodri, Zinchenko; Gundogan, De Bruyne; Foden, Grealish, Sterling, Jesus
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.