Two key Manchester City players are absent from first-team training ahead of Thursday’s Premier League trip to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Two key Manchester City players were absent from first-team training ahead of Thursday’s Premier League trip to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Citizens bounced back from their Champions League exit on penalties to Real Madrid by beating Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday to progress to their second successive FA Cup final, courtesy of a late goal from Bernardo Silva.
Pep Guardiola‘s men have put together a club-record 29-game unbeaten run in all competitions and remain on course to end the campaign with the same domestic double they won last season.
A Manchester derby FA Cup final awaits Man City on May 25, but they are now focused fully on the Premier League title race, with just one point separating the Citizens in third from second-placed Liverpool and leaders Arsenal, at the time of writing, with six games left to play.
Man City will pay a visit to European hopefuls Brighton on Thursday, but Guardiola is sweating over the fitness of two of his key players ahead of the contest at the American Express Stadium.
❌ Erling Haaland
❌ Phil Foden
✅ Julián Álvarez (he started training after we finished filming)
✅ John StonesLatest from #MCFC training ahead Thursday’s game v #BHAFC.
— Anton Toloui (@SkyAnton) April 23, 2024
Erling Haaland, Phil Foden absent from Man City training
Man City took part in an open training session at City Football Academy on Tuesday morning, but both Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were not pictured out on the grass with their teammates.
Haaland was a notable absentee from the Citizens side that edged past Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals last weekend after he failed to recover in time from a niggling muscle injury.
The Norwegian picked up his problem in City’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid last weekend and Guardiola stated that the striker asked to be taken off before the Citizens lost on penalties.
Haaland has scored 31 goals in 39 games for Man City across all competitions so far this season, as well as three goals in as many appearances against Brighton, but the 23-year-old has emerged as a doubt for Thursday’s clash along with in-form attacker Foden.
The Englishman, arguably City’s Player of the Season thus far, sustained a knock in a first-leg tie against Real Madrid earlier this month and although he featured in the reverse fixture with Los Blancos, he has watched on as an unused substitute in each of the last two Premier League games.
© Reuters
John Stones present in Man City training
On a positive note, Man City were boosted by the news of John Stones taking part in first-team training on Tuesday.
The versatile defender has had his minutes managed by Guardiola since recovering from a groin injury earlier this month.
Stones was left out of the Citizens squad that beat Luton Town 5-1 in the Premier League, but he came on as a late substitute in extra time against Real Madrid in the Champions League last week, before playing the first 45 minutes versus Chelsea in the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, there were brief concerns over Julian Alvarez after he was not spotted by the cameras of Sky Sports News in first-team training, but reporter Anton Toloui has since confirmed that the Argentine began training after they finished filming.
Jack Grealish, who came off with a knock against Chelsea, also took part in first-team training, as did Bernardo Silva who admitted after last weekend’s Wembley win that he was “feeling his left hamstring” and “right calf”.
Guardiola is due to provide an update on the fitness of his Man City squad when he attends a pre-match press conference on Wednesday ahead of the trip to Brighton.
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