Several key players will be absent for upcoming Man City match against Chelsea

Important players will not play for Man City against Chelsea.published on November 9, 2023, 23 minutes ago.by Ojo Mathew
Important players will not play for Man City against Chelsea.

Due to their respective teams’ extensive injury lists, Manchester City and Chelsea will be without a few of their best players when they meet them on Sunday.

Reece James, starting for just the second time this season in the league, gave Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues a boost on Monday in their victory over Tottenham, but at the same time, a concern surfaced.

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After being fouled by fellow Argentine Cristian Romero prior to Cole Palmer’s equalising penalty, Enzo Fernandez suffered a hit from Romero, but the defender had to be substituted out early because his studs grazed his countryman’s shin and ankle.

Pochettino has a lot more concerns than just that to worry about, as Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah, Christopher Nkunku, and Romeo Lavia are all out of the game, and Armando Broja and Carney Chukwuemeka remain uncertain.

Although Pep Guardiola’s team cannot equal that in terms of quantity, he does have some selection headaches following the Tuesday night losses of John Stones and Manuel Akanji. In order to advance to the competition’s knockout stages, City defeated Young Boys 3-0 at home in the Champions League, although the victory wasn’t as straightforward as the result might imply.

After Kyle Walker took the place of the adaptable Swiss defender, Akanji, who had been in the team from the beginning, presented Guardiola with a last-minute challenge. “Well, following the game, Manu [Akanji] had a back issue,” the Spaniard clarified.

“That occurred during training; he appears to be 75 years old.” He was unable to play. Kyle took his seat because of this. Hopefully it won’t be a major problem, and he’ll be prepared for Sunday,” Guardiola stated.

After the break, though, things deteriorated even more when Stones was declared out for the remainder of the match. The Englishman just made his debut against Arsenal as a late substitute at the beginning of October, having missed the opening several games of the season due to injury. After that, he started three straight games, including Bournemouth’s 6-1 thumping, before being substituted off on Tuesday at halftime.

Regarding his midfield strategy, Guardiola declared, “Now we are in trouble.” Stones crosses the pitch for City and moves to the middle to join Rodri, but this most recent setback ruins his intentions. “Like Arsenal, we will need to play a little differently because it is uncomfortable. not alter many variations, according to Guardiola.

“Nathan [Ake] or Manu played some really good minutes, as did substitute Kalvin [Phillips].” It’s playable by them. They possess control and stability during changes. Nathan or Manu are both excellent players.

The former manager of Bayern Munich and Barcelona continued, saying, “I saw how difficult it will be in the next four games, Luton as well – against Liverpool.” In between Villa Leipzig, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs, and so forth. John is gone, so maybe the guys will return from their international break in good shape. Everyone is necessary.

Stones will now likely be sidelined for some time. Guardiola said, “John felt it again,” to TNT Sports. “I’m very sorry for him. We have suffered a great loss. John’s contributions are really significant. But he will heal, and the season is still lengthy, so he will return stronger. I believe he will be absent for some time.

He gave additional details about the problem during the news conference, stating: “It’s muscular, will be a while out.” What a shame for him, such a great professional. Sad news and a pity for us.

Erling Haaland returned to City, and he did so with style. Before being removed at the hour, the striker scored twice: once from the penalty spot and once via a thunderbolt from outside the area. Guardiola said during the game over the weekend that he had been substituted off early against the Cherries due to a twist in his ankle and that he didn’t feel comfortable.

“He may return on Tuesday, but he may not return until Sunday.” I haven’t talked to the physicians yet, but we’ll see how things progress over the next few days. Now that he is back, he is ready to go to Stamford Bridge well-rested.

Sergio Gomez and Kevin De Bruyne are both out of action for City due to long-term injuries.