Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that the club will struggle to overcome their mounting injury crisis ahead of their Champions League trip to Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.
City’s consecutive defeats to Tottenham and Bournemouth have ended their 11-month unbeaten run in the Premier League, and the injury list continues to grow.
Ballon d’Or winner Rodri is out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, joining Oscar Bobb, Ruben Dias, Jack Grealish, and John Stones on the sidelines.
Kevin De Bruyne may make his return after seven weeks but is unlikely to start, while Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, Jeremy Doku, and Savinho are also not fully fit.
“We know we will struggle, and we have to accept that, and it is fine,” Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference.
“The games will be difficult; in previous seasons it was smooth. Personal reasons, injuries—we won six Premier Leagues in seven years. Things change; we have to accept that.”
City face a Sporting Lisbon side that has changed players but retains the same mentality under manager Ruben Amorim, who will take charge of Manchester United next season.
Guardiola praised Amorim’s achievements, saying, “Winning the league for the first time in 20 years and then doing it again last season shows what a good job he has done.”
Bernardo Silva, who scored twice in City’s 5-0 win over Sporting two years ago, urged his teammates not to make excuses despite the injury woes.
“We never find excuses. This club was never about that,” Silva said.
City will look to bounce back from their recent defeats and maintain their unbeaten record in the Champions League.
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