The reigning Premier League winners will host Roberto De Zerbi’s team this weekend as they attempt to recover from a run of three straight losses in domestic competitions prior to the break.
A late deflected shot from Gabriel Martinelli gave Manchester City a 1-0 loss at the Emirates Stadium in their final match before the second break of the season against Premier League championship contenders Arsenal.
Following the most recent international break, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola provided a general fitness update on his playing team.
The reigning Premier League winners will host Roberto De Zerbi’s team this weekend as they attempt to recover from a run of three straight losses in domestic competitions prior to the break.
A late deflected shot from Gabriel Martinelli gave Manchester City a 1-0 loss at the Emirates Stadium in their final match before the second break of the season against Premier League championship contenders Arsenal.
Now that Manchester City have a much stronger roster at their disposal and are looking to get back to winning, manager Pep Guardiola has been asked to give an overview of how fit his team is after each player’s experience with their different national teams.
Pep Guardiola, City’s manager, told the media that he has a fully-fit squad at his disposal with the exception of one important player before Saturday’s Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Except for Kevin (De Bruyne), there are no issues, according to Guardiola. When pressed for more information on a timetable involving the Belgian playmaker, the Catalan coach acknowledged that he is unsure of the vice-captain of the team’s comeback date.
In addition, John Stones’ participation in the England national team after a protracted injury absence from the Manchester City team was extensively debated by Pep Guardiola.
During a press conference over the break, Gareth Southgate disclosed that the England team had been in regular contact with Manchester City personnel regarding the fitness of Stones and the best way to use the central defender as he worked toward being fully match-ready.
Regarding John Stones’ fitness going into the international break, Guardiola acknowledged, “We were a little bit concerned.” “We spoke with Gareth (Southgate); our connection is fantastic. We were worried because Stones hadn’t played for the national team before and hadn’t played for two months.
He was extremely crucial, but we were unable to utilize him, Pep Guardiola continued. We’re glad he received some playing time, but what if he gets hurt? He then exits after playing a short while.
“They love to play for their countries; I never advise against going there, but if a player plays for just a short while, we worry; thankfully, everything turned out okay, and he’s prepared for the upcoming matches.”
Manchester City will prepare for their UEFA Champions League away match against BSC Young Boys in Switzerland on matchday three of the group stage after their encounter with Brighton on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams’ meeting in Bern comes before the Manchester derby, which will be played the following Sunday at Old Trafford between Pep Guardiola and his team and Erik ten Hag’s struggling Manchester United squad.
