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Manchester City is beset by injury problems and Pep Guardiola will not be able to welcome back any of his injured stars.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (AP)
Pep Guardiola is confident he can remedy Manchester City’s issues after losing three consecutive games for the first time since 2018.
Defeat at Brighton on Saturday would see the City boss lose four straight matches for the first time in his trophy-laden managerial career.
The Premier League champions have been beset by injury problems, most notably the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for the rest of the season.
Guardiola will not be able to welcome back any of his injured stars this weekend, but the Spaniard hopes for a cleaner bill of health after the imminent international break.
“It’s football, it has happened. We know the reason why we struggled,” Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“Looking forward to the game and, after the international break, a few players will come back better and recover. For all the problems that we have, little problems that every player has, we will solve it.”
City’s three defeats have all come in different competitions.
After exiting the League Cup to Tottenham and suffering a first Premier League loss since December at Bournemouth, City were thrashed 4-1 by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League in midweek.
However, Guardiola dismissed the suggestion he could learn more about his players from their tough run compared to winning four consecutive Premier League titles.
“They proved many times what they are capable of,” added Guardiola.
When asked about team news, he said: “No good news. The same as Lisbon. The same guys who travelled, still they are there.”
Oscar Bobb, Ruben Dias, Jack Grealish and John Stones are set to miss the trip to the Amex Stadium.
But Kevin De Bruyne could make his first Premier League appearance for two months, while Jeremy Doku, Savinho, Manuel Akanji and Kyle Walker are expected to make the squad.
Guardiola though is not taking Brighton lightly.
“I’m really impressed by the way they play. I think the director, chairman made an incredible job there. Brighton made a lot of signings this season and [Fabian Hurzeler] is doing an incredible job; personality, rhythm, the way they play was outstanding. Always they have been tough since Graham Potter, away or home it doesn’t matter, and this will be no exception.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
