John Stones has now been ruled out, along with star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, thus Manchester City will be missing TWO important players when Newcastle visits the Etihad this Saturday.
Stones has been one of their best defenders under Pep Guardiola and was rested last night for their Super Cup victory over Sevilla. However, this morning while training in Greece, Stones suffered a hamstring injury and will not be able to participate in Saturday’s match.
With a significant hamstring injury sustained in last Friday’s 3-0 victory against Burnley, De Bruyne has already been ruled out of the game and is anticipated to miss three to four months.
Newcastle may also benefit from the fact that Manchester City played in the Super Cup yesterday night while suffering through oppressive heat in Athens. After a 1-1 draw against Europa League champion Sevilla, they prevailed on penalties. Just 48 hours before they face Eddie Howe’s Mags at the Etihad, they will return to the UK after training on Thursday morning in Greece.
After the game, Guardiola expressed his displeasure with the early-season schedule given to his team, criticizing the Premier League for scheduling games for them so soon after their trip to Athens. Here is what he said, to be seen:
"Thank you so much to the Premier League for letting us play on Saturday…and not on Sunday or Monday…" 👀
Man City boss Pep Guardiola on his sides recovery after their Super Cup win 💭 pic.twitter.com/Y2dmK49uTx
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 17, 2023