**Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has handed an update on his side’s fitness ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League group-phase tie against Bayer Leverkusen.**
The Blues returned to Premier League duties at the weekend in disappointing fashion as a Harvey Barnes brace either side of a Ruben Dias equaliser saw Guardiola and co slip down to third place in the league table, with Arsenal extending their lead at the top of the tree to six points after earning a convincing 4-1 win over Tottenham on Sunday.
Guardiola is likely to shuffle his pack to face Bayer Leverkusen on matchday five of the UEFA Champions League group-phase campaign, with qualification for the play-offs in sight for City after three wins and a draw in their opening four games.
Phil Foden was the star of the show last time out in Europe for Manchester City, scoring a stunning brace in a 4-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in a week that also saw the Blues go on to beat Premier League champions Liverpool.
Rodri and Mateo Kovacic remained the only absentees for Manchester City at the weekend against Newcastle, with the former making his way to full fitness after recovering from a hamstring injury and the latter recently undergoing surgery on his heel.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League group-stage visit from Bayer Leverkusen, Guardiola issued an update on his squad’s fitness as Manchester City look to return to winning ways after losing further ground in the title race on Saturday.
Guardiola confirmed that with the exception of Rodri and Kovacic, the Manchester City squad is fully fit and available to face the German side, who could call upon on-loan City playmaker Claudio Echeverri at the Etihad Stadium.
Towards the end of the press conference, Manchester City defender and Kovacic’s Croatia teammate Josko Gvardiol added that the 31-year-old midfielder is expected back at the training ground on Monday – but could remain out of action for three to four months.
City have recorded 11 wins in their last 15 games in all competitions since September – a run of form that has catapulted an in-transition Guardiola side into the conversation for the title race and put them in pole position for the Round of 16 stage.
Guardiola does not have a luxury of options to rotate down the middle in attack, with Erling Haaland almost certain to start on Tuesday as City look to take another step towards qualification for the knockout stages.
However, after starting the game against Newcastle on the bench, Tijjani Reijnders could come into the starting XI against Leverkusen to provide some fresh legs, having also enjoyed a positive spell with Netherlands in the recent international break.
City need all the momentum they can get to fuel their title challenge and after losing further ground against an Arsenal side showing next to no sign of a slip-up, Guardiola and his troops have it all to do if they are to win a fifth league title in six seasons in May.