Manchester City defender John Stones has emerged as a doubt for the Cityzens’ Champions League trip to Real Madrid after missing out on the weekend through injury.
Manchester City Dealt Injury Blow Ahead of Real Madrid Trip
Pep Guardiola has been dealt a fresh injury concern ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League league phase clash against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
City head into the tie in ninth place in the league phase table, outside of the top eight on goal difference, and have won three straight matches since losing 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen on MD5.
The run started with a 3-2 win over Leeds, followed by 5-4 and 3-0 triumphs over Fulham and Sunderland. They now sit in second in the Premier League table, two points behind Arsenal.
Los Blancos, meanwhile, are up in fifth in the UCL table, two points ahead of City.
Their form ahead of the Cityzens’ visit to the Spanish capital is a concern, as their 2-0 defeat by Celta Vigo on Sunday means they have now won just two of their last seven in all competitions.
Real now sit four points adrift of Barcelona in second, and pressure is mounting on Xabi Alonso as a result, with Zinedine Zidane now favoured in the next Real Madrid manager odds market.
Despite sitting behind Los Blancos in the table, Guardiola’s side are narrowly favoured ahead of the LaLiga giants in the Champions League winner betting odds market ahead of MD6.
Manchester City Injury Update
John Stones (Doubtful)
City stalwart John Stones missed Sunderland’s visit to the Etihad on Saturday due to an unspecified injury, and the 31-year-old is now deemed a doubt for the Real Madrid game.
Guardiola, while confirming the injury, revealed he ‘didn’t know’ how long Stones would be out for.
Stones was kept out for close to three weeks with a minor muscular issue earlier this term.
Rodri (Ruled Out)
Unavailable for the trip to his homeland, Rodri remains ruled out with a hamstring issue.
Guardiola is refusing to rush the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner back to action following numerous setbacks since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury earlier this year.
The Cityzens’ boss revealed that the midfielder will ‘be ready in a few weeks’.
He said: “It was a muscular injury against Brentford, in a high-tendon muscular hamstring area. He’s a bit more careful.
“Previous ones, when he stepped back, we had to be more cautious and have no more prevention but make sure it is safe.
“The process of recovery is doing well. He start to make training sessions on the pitch already. So hopefully in a few weeks, it can start.”
Mateo Kovacic (Ruled Out)
As for Mateo Kovacic, he remains ruled out due to a long-term Achilles injury.
He underwent surgery in the summer, and having returned to action for both club and country at the start of the season, he has failed to feature since City’s 2-0 win at Villarreal on 21 October.
Guardiola provided the latest on the Croatian last week: “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.”
