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Manchester City return to Premier League action this weekend with a home clash against Sunderland
Manchester City won 5-4 away at Fulham last time out. They led 5-1 at Craven Cottage before allowing their opponents to get back into the game. Nevertheless, the North West outfit held on for a valuable three points which was all that matters in the end.
Pep Guardiola’s side are sat in 2nd place in the Premier League table as they aim to win the title. They are five points behind Arsenal at the summit after 14 fixtures. Here is a look at the latest injury news ahead of their upcoming clash against Sunderland...
Sunderland injury news
Starting with the visitors, Sunderland have adapted well to life in the top flight following their promotion from the Championship. They beat Sheffield United 2-1 in the play-off final back in May courtesy of a last-gasp winner by Tommy Watson, who is now at Brighton and Hove Albion. They are currently positioned in 6th in the league after their 1-1 draw with Liverpool.
The Black Cats remain without defender Aji Alese due to a shoulder injury. He hasn’t featured at all yet this season for the North East club and isn’t expected back until later this month and even then, he is likely to face a battle to get into their starting XI. Regarding the former West Ham man, Le Bris said back in September: “Aji is close to coming back, but after a long period without playing, it is still hard for him to reconnect with the level, so we will have to be patient.”
Summer signing Habib Diarra is also sidelined which isn’t ideal. His head coach has shared this recent update regarding his condition: “It's really important to take care of his health, and his rehab is in progress, and I think we are in a good place. But we don't want to rush the process, because we'll need Habib for the second part of the season. We won't take risks.”
Manchester City injury news
Rodri’s availability has been the biggest question mark for City ahead of their match against Sunderland. Speaking in his pre-game press conference, Guardiola has confirmed he won’t be able to play still and is coy on his return date. He said: “No, but he is getting better” and when asked for more detail, he replied: “Ask me in Madrid.”
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic continues to be unavailable. The former Chelsea man is still in the treatment room with his ankle/foot problem. His boss said in early November: “He will be out for a while... He still has a problem with the ankle; a little calcification [is] still there. We'll wait on him for the last part of the season.”
City face an away trip to Real Madrid in the Champions League next Wednesday. Therefore, Guardiola may look to rotate his side again to ensure his players stay fresh. They then have an away trip down to London to play Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the league next Sunday so they have a hefty workload coming up over the festive period.
Out: Alese, Diarra, Kovacic, Rodri
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