Enzo Maresca Press Conference: Five Manchester City Stars Given 'Three Days Off' Ahead of Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has issued a fitness update on his side ahead of Wednesday night's Carabao Cup fourth round tie with Brighton and Hove Albion.
Maresca and co suffered their second defeat in four games last time out at Villa Park as a clinical Nicolas Jackson brace secured a 2-1 win for Aston Villa over a sub-par City side.
Manchester City remain top of the Premier League ahead of this weekend's fixtures despite the loss in the west Midlands, though Arsenal's 2-0 home win over Everton means the Gunners are level on points with Maresca's side and only behind on goal difference in second place.
After starting the season with seven league wins, City have finally been outdone as they go through the motions of a tricky spell that has also seen them suffer a 4-2 home loss at the hands of back-to-back UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.
The Blues are at a nascent stage of their transition from Pep Guardiola to Maresca, who made sweeping changes to the Manchester City first-team squad alongside sporting director Hugo Viana to build a side capable of challenging on all fronts.
Man City injury state of play
City entered the defeat in Birmingham with a host of injury concerns, with Matheus Nunes missing the trip altogether and Nico O'Reilly remaining an unused substitute. Mateo Kovacic was also given a rest and not called upon from the bench.
Maresca was criticised for not bringing Moroccan teenage sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi on at any point in last week's defeat to Aston Villa, with the 19-year-old in line for a start against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday night.
Marc Guehi and Gianluigi Donnarumma did not cover themselves in glory at Villa Park as the former's error in possession early on allowed Jackson to go through and sit Elliot Anderson down to break the deadlock.
Donnarumma also allowed a meagre Jackson effort aimed at the Italian go through under him and Maresca will field backup goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli between the sticks as Manchester City look to return to winning ways with a cup win over the in-form Seagulls.
Maresca confirms Rulli will start on Wednesday, five Man City players given three days off after Villa trip
Speaking in a press conference from the City Football Academy on Tuesday morning, Maresca issued a comprehensive fitness update on his squad ahead of Wednesday's cup clash.
While he was not asked about specific injury concerns, the Manchester City manager revealed that the quintet of Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Guehi and Donnarumma were given 'three days off' to 'recover the energy' after last week's defeat to Aston Villa.
"Three days off, energy. Go, come back full energy and we go again," the Italian said in his message to the aforementioned City players.
Rulli will also start in goal for the Blues against the Seagulls on Wednesday night, Maresca confirmed. On how the 35-year-old Argentine has adapted to life at the Etihad Stadium since joining this summer, the Manchester City boss added: ""He's good, before he arrived here, I had a conversation with him. He knows his role exactly, that is important.
"He's doing well, helping the players and Gigio [Donnarumma] a lot in the day-by-day. When he played some minutes, he was good and tomorrow [against Brighton], he's going to play again."
City will again face Fabian Hürzeler and co in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday as they seek three points to pick up momentum after a disappointing trip to Villa Park last time out.