Manchester City are hoping to welcome back two players when they face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
City have had a fantastic start to the season, sitting atop the Premier League with a perfect record. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City overcame a scare to beat Crvena Zvezda 3-1 on Tuesday night, kicking off their Champions League defense in style.
City had one injury concern on the night, when Bernardo Silva was substituted with an apparent injury. Guardiola announced the Portuguese star’s absence during his pre-match press conference on Friday.
Bernardo is out with an injury, according to the manager, and will miss the visit of Forest, although it does not appear to be a major problem.
The issue for Manchester City this season has not been one of results. Seven consecutive wins in all competitions have propelled the club to the top of the Premier League and in command of its Champions League group.
However, these on-field triumphs have obscured a growing concern off the field. The Citizens were unable to fill the entire quota of substitutes for their most recent European match against Red Star Belgrade, and had just six outfield players on the bench.
The scarcity of fit players was exacerbated during the game when Bernardo Silva was forced to leave the field before halftime due to injury. In the aftermath, manager Pep Guardiola refused to complain about his plight but acknowledged the situation was far from ideal.
“We are in trouble but I am not going to say ‘oh, we have a lot of injuries’. It is what it is,” he told the media. “With the players we have, we will go for it. As long as we have that mentality, that is good.
“We have five really important players injured and to sustain that for a long time would be difficult.”
The Catalan was referring to first-team starters Mateo Kovacic, John Stones, Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne who are all currently out.
On Grealish, Guardiola said: “Jack is coming back, he has trained and maybe he can play some minutes.”
Pep also gave an update on De Bruyne “It’s a serious injury. He will be out for a few months. The injury is a blow, a big loss. He has specific qualities. For a long time is really tough for us. We have to look forward. We have alternatives. Kevin is irreplaceable, but we have talented players. They will take it.”
