Pep Guardiola has confirmed that three of his players will be missing from Manchester City’s clash against Aston Villa.
The reigning Premier League champions will face Unai Emery’s side at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night as the title race builds a head of steam.
Manchester City head into the clash following a goalless draw with Arsenal, meanwhile, the Villans enjoyed a 2-0 win over Wolves.
After Liverpool snatched three points from Brighton at the weekend, Manchester City now have significant ground to make up before the end of the season.
However, Guardiola could be without some big names. Ederson, who was injured in the Liverpool game, wasn’t fit enough to play against the Gunners.
Nathan Ake had to leave the pitch in the first half, and Kyle Walker also missed out due to an injury he picked up while playing for England.
All three are set to miss Wednesday’s game, with the Manchester City boss unsure about their return dates. John Stones, despite being an unused substitute in the Gunners clash, could potentially make the squad for the Aston Villa match.
But, there are still concerns about whether he’ll be fit enough to play. As quoted by the Manchester Evening News, Guardiola said: “He has to feel fully fit but the injury was less than we expected in the moment but we will see. For today and maybe for the next games, he will be ready.”
Then on Ake, Guardiola added: “[Nathan is] injured. There are two months left so hopefully he will be back soon but I don’t know exactly the timings. For the next games, he will not be ready.”
Manchester City’s draw with Arsenal leaves them three points behind league leaders Liverpool, with a lesser goal difference.
To clinch the title, they might need to win all their remaining nine matches – which will be music to Mikel Arteta’s ears as he hopes to snatch Guardiola’s crown.
When asked whether experience will help the reigning champions leapfrog Arsenal and Liverpool, the former Barcelona boss said: “Experience is over. It doesn’t count. It’s Aston Villa.
“When we were able to win a lot of games in a row before, we weren’t thinking about how many we were able to do. I would like to tell you but I don’t know. All I can do is prepare well against Aston Villa.”
