Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker says he expects Jack Grealish to be fit to face Chelsea this weekend.
The 28-year-old missed the victory over Manchester United in the Community Shield last weekend due to an unspecified injury. Asked by Radio 5 Live (quotes via CityXtra) whether Grealish will be available on Sunday, Walker replied:
“I’m sure, come the Chelsea game, that Jack is fully fit and ready to go.”
Manager Pep Guardiola was slightly more circumspect than Walker when asked about Grealish’s fitness at the weekend.
The City boss said that there was a good chance that the winger would be available for the trip to Stamford Bridge, although he did also mention the subsequent fixture against Ipswich Town as a potential return date.
Do City have any other fitness concerns heading into the Chelsea match?
As we pointed out in our injury report earlier this week, it is unlikely that any of the players who featured in the Euro 2024 final will start against the Blues.
The main reason for that is Guardiola’s decision to give them all a full month off. That consequently means they started pre-season training at the start of this week.
Rodri, Walker himself, John Stones and Phil Foden could still make the matchday squad but it is expected that they will only make the bench.
The master against the apprentice
Chelsea are the latest club to hire a former assistant of Guardiola’s, having appointed Enzo Maresca earlier this summer. The Italian does play a similar style of football but his team has been conceding plenty of goals in pre-season.
Many expect the first fixture between these two sides to be an open contest, although the reigning champions will clearly be favourites to secure the three points.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
