Pep Guardiola will be without a right back tomorrow night when his side hosts Sporting CP in the second leg of their UEFA Champions league round of 16 tie. That’s because a.) Kyle Walker is suspended for having deservedly drawn red in the last group stage match, when he kicked RB Leipzig’s Andre Silva.
And b.) Joao Cancelo is out with an unspecified illness. Guardiola is still mad at Walker for what he did, blasting his actions as “stupid.” Good thing they lead the tie 5-0 from the first leg, as this match is basically dead rubber.
Manchester City vs Sporting CP FYIs
When is it? Wednesday, 9 March 2022 8 PM
Where is it? Etihad Stadium, Machester
Who’s in form? Man City (WLWWW) Sporting (WWWLL)
What are the odds? Man City (-700) Sporting (+1500) Draw (+850)
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts
Team News: go here
Starting XI Prediction: go here
“He deserved it [the suspension], he deserved the three, he did a stupid thing,” Guardiola said to a press conference today.
“I’m not kind to Kyle for this kind of action. I’m still so angry with him. He knows it, it’s not necessary. He deserved it. The club appealed but I did not agree. Hopefully he learned.”
The real issue for City is the fact that Walker will be unavailable for the first leg of the quarterfinals, and that is seriously cramping their UCL title hoping style. What will Guardiola do about the selection crisis at the position? Well, here is a link to our best guess.
The Catalan shed the following insight at his news conference today about it.
“I don’t know [who will play],” Guardiola said. “[John] Stones? Fernandinho maybe? We’ll speak with some players, we are going to speak about the academy.
“We don’t have many players, just 14 available. Of course we had an incredible result in the first leg but football is unpredictable, red cards, quality of opponent.
“We’ll take a top side as much as possible. Not many alternatives but we will do the best team possible to win the game.”
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 co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.