Ruben Dias, John Stones, and Jack Grealish will miss Manchester City’s trip to Brighton, putting their defenders into more disarray ahead of a game they must win to avoid losing distance to Liverpool.
Dias has a muscle injury that has kept him out of City’s previous two games, and Stones is suffering with a foot condition. They were both left out of their respective international teams for the upcoming break, as was Nathan Ake.
Ake was left on the bench against Sporting this week, with youngster Jahmai Simpson-Pusey starting for the first time. If Ake is out, Rico Lewis might start on the left, with Kyle Walker on the right and Josko Gvardiol in the center.
Guardiola also acknowledged that Jack Grealish was not fit following a stint on the sidelines, differing from England interim manager Lee Carsley’s assessment of the forward’s health.
Grealish has been included to the England squad for next week’s games, with Carsley stating that Grealish has trained for the previous two days and will be tested upon arrival, with no risks made on his fitness. However, Guardiola believes Grealish only practiced on the turf for 20 minutes on Friday, contradicting Carsley’s assertions.
Guardiola remarked, “It is a question for the manager of England.” “No, [he is not fit]. As with Lisbon, there is no more positive news. The same men who travel are present.”