Manchester City host Newcastle United on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup semifinals hoping their 2-0 first-leg advantage will provide enough of a springboard to propel them into the final at Wembley in March.
A turnaround is needed after an emotional gut-punch of a result last time out, with City capitulating a similar advantage to Tottenham in Premier League play, allowing Arsenal to re-extend their lead atop the table to six points.
Injury issues around Guardiola's squad have eased slightly over the past week, although City still look defensively very thin, and they lost Jeremy Doku to a muscle issue against Galatasaray a week ago.
They will also be without Oscar Bobb, who has now completed a January transfer to Fulham, so Guardiola has some things to work out.
MORE:Man City embarrassed by Bodo/Glimt: Why Champions League loss might be their worst game under Pep Guardiola
Man City injury list
Below is the latest injury picture for Manchester City, and estimated return dates for those who are sidelined.
Ruben Dias
Injury: Hamstring
Expected return date: February 4 (vs. Newcastle)
Ruben Dias was one of a few casualties from the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on January 4, finding himself withdrawn before full-time. Guardiola said he was facing between four and six weeks out of action, putting his return sometime in mid-February.
However, it appears he is slightly ahead of schedule, as the Portugal defender has returned to training, and could be an option against Newcastle, although it seems more likely that he will be eased back into the starting lineup.
Rayan Cherki
Injury: Knock
Expected return date: February 4 (Newcastle)
Pep Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference ahead of the second leg against Newcastle that Rayan Cherki was dealing with a knock, and that his availability for the match would be assessed in the lead-up to the game. It doesn't seem serious, but he could miss out depending on his he responds to the treatment and how he feels in pre-match warmups.
Jeremy Doku
Injury: Calf
Expected return date: February 14 (vs. Salford City)
Doku suffered a calf injury against Galatasaray, but City assistant Pep Lijnders thinks his recovery time will be "a little bit shorter" than the 18 days he needed with a similar issue earlier in the season.
Josko Gvardiol
Injury: Tibia fracture
Expected return date: May/June
Man City suffered a brutal blow in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea, as the opening match of 2026 brought with it terrible news. Defender Gvardiol, who has been a pillar of consistency for City in recent seasons, went down in the second half with a tibia fracture, confirmed by the club the following day.
City confirmed that Gvardiol underwent surgery for the broken leg. While there is very little known at this point about a potential timeline for Gvardiol's return, it is believed to require a long-term recovery, and it's possible he will miss the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
Savinho
Injury: Undisclosed
Expected return date: February/March
Guardiola said the injury to Savinho "does not look good" after the winger had to exit early in the draw at Sunderland. After the Brighton game, Guardiola said the timeline for the Brazil winger was between one and a half to two months. As the calendar turned to February, there was still no news on the nature of his injury or how long he would remain sidelined.
John Stones
Injury: Thigh
Expected return date: February
England defender Stones has been peripheral in the Premier League this season but had started four of five Champions League matches prior to the trip to Real Madrid in December.
He came on in midfield during the unhinged 5-4 win at Fulham on December 2 and has not featured since. Stones is nursing an unspecified leg injury and was expected to return at some stage during the festive fixtures, but Guardiola said on January 6 that he has "no idea" when Stones will be back. He remained unavailable for selection as the calendar turned to February, with no update or news on his situation.
Mateo Kovacic
Injury: Heel/ankle
Expected return date: February/March
Croatia midfielder Kovacic underwent Achilles surgery over the summer but has suffered a serious setback.
After the 3-1 win over Bournemouth on November 2, Guardiola said the former Chelsea player would be "out for a while".
"He still has a problem with the ankle, a little calcification still there. We'll wait on him for the last part of the season," the City boss added. Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti confirmed the news and said Kovacic's recovery was likely to take three to four months.
Man City predicted lineup vs. Newcastle
Along with those missing due to injury, new signing Marc Guehi will not be available for this match as he is cup-tied for the competition. While the EFL relaxed rules around these restrictions this season, City needed to make Guehi eligible for the competition prior to the semifinal stage. Unfortunately, Guehi did not sign for City until after the first leg, so he cannot take part in either the semifinal second leg or the final, should City reach Wembley.
Formation: 4-1-4-1
Donnarumma (GK)
Nunes, Ake, Khusanov, Ait Nouri
Rodri
Cherki, Foden, Silva, Semenyo
Haaland
Man City fixture schedule: Next five games
Notoriously tricky trips to Tottenham and Liverpool sandwich the second leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal against Newcastle. Guardiola's men hold a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
Man City vs. Newcastle | Carabao Cup | Wednesday, February 4
Liverpool vs. Man City | Premier League | Sunday, February 8
Man City vs. Fulham | Premier League | Wednesday, February 11
Man City vs. Salford | FA Cup | Saturday, February 14
Man City vs. Newcastle | Premier League | Saturday, February 14