Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has provided the latest fitness update on his squad ahead of Sunday’s high-stakes Premier League clash with Liverpool at Anfield.
City head into the match with several injury concerns, including the potential absence of captain Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese midfielder sustained a thigh injury during the week, ruling him out of the Carabao Cup victory over Newcastle United.
Guardiola confirmed, while speaking on Friday, that a final decision on Silva’s availability will be made ahead of the Liverpool game, describing the player as an “incredible doubt.”
Should Silva miss out, the midfield responsibilities are likely to fall to Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden, who started against Newcastle in midweek. Silva’s absence would be a significant blow, with the 29-year-old having featured in every Premier League game so far this season.
City will be without Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Jeremy Doku and Savinho, while Rayan Cherki, who picked up a minor issue against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, returned off the bench against Newcastle and may reclaim a starting spot.
Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma should also return after dropping to the bench for the Carabao Cup semi-final.
There is encouraging news at the back for Guardiola, with centre-back Ruben Dias returning to full training after missing the last nine games.
The City vice-captain travelled with the squad to Tottenham earlier this week and featured in midweek action, with the manager indicating he could be ready for selection at Anfield.
Similarly, John Stones has resumed training after being sidelined since early December, though the England international will not be available for Sunday’s match.
Manchester City could face a challenging test at Anfield, where Guardiola has overseen only one win against Liverpool throughout his decade-long tenure at the Etihad.
The Cityzens are currently nine points behind league leaders Arsenal, so victory at Merseyside is non-negotiable if they are to stay within reach of the Gunners.
