Manchester City are gearing up for another crucial Champions League outing, with the faltering Premier League champions taking on Serie A giants Juventus in Turin.
The Cityzens have been far from their sparkling best this season and are struggling to get points on the board both domestically and in Europe.
The 2023/24 quarter-finalists have collected just eight points from five games and sit 20th in the Champions League table.
Qualification via a top-eight finish seems far-fetched at the moment, but City will still fancy their chances of booking a spot in the knockouts through the play-offs.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s immediate attention turns to Juventus, but the Spanish manager will be scratching his head at how to get the best out of his injury-ridden squad.
On the bright side, City have been handed a significant boost as Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic return to the squad for their Champions League trip to face Juventus.
Foden missed the 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest and the 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace with bronchitis but resumed training on Tuesday and is part of the travelling party to Turin.
Equally encouraging is Kovacic’s earlier-than-expected return.
The Croatian midfielder sustained an injury during international duty in November, which kept him out for five games.
He was initially ruled out until later this month, but his availability marks a timely boost for City, especially with their congested fixture schedule.
However, Guardiola will still be without Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, and John Stones, so the Spaniard may be forced to field a makeshift backline once again.
Rico Lewis was sent off against Palace, but his ban only applies to domestic competitions, making him eligible to face Juventus.
He will likely start at full-back while Josko Gvardiol shifts to the heart of the defence.
Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne will likely feature in the starting XI as he continues to regain form following his return from injury.
Ideally, Guardiola would want to keep the Belgian fresh for next weekend’s mouth-watering Manchester derby, but City’s injury crisis could force his hand.
Predicted Man City XI:
(4-3-3): Stefan Ortega; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Rico Lewis; Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne; Savinho, Erling Braut Haaland, Jack Grealish.