Manchester City rotate for their Champions League clash with Sparta Prague today.
Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker miss out.
Pep Guardiola confirmed the pair were major doubts when speaking after Man City’s controversial last-gasp 2-1 win over Wolves on Sunday, before then providing a further update at his pre-match Champions League press conference on Tuesday.
Walker being injured on international duty with England has brought back unwanted memories for Guardiola of a time when similar happened to John Stones before the quarter-final meeting with Real Madrid earlier this year.
He said: "I was never so angry as that moment. Never ever before was I so disappointed. It was a friendly game and we are playing the quarter-finals against Real Madrid, and to win the Premier League.
"For a friendly game, two players coming back injured - (tuts) no, no, no. I didn't like it, at all. I know the players don't want to get injured, I always encourage them to go to the national team, it's a pleasure.
"But if it's a friendly game you cannot come back injured, I'm sorry. If you are focused, if it is a friendly game, you cannot come back injured when you are playing the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
"We are well paid here. The club pay us, not the national teams. Sometimes you have to respect the clubs. In friendly games you cannot be injured. You can play, absolutely, but you cannot come back injured."
Walker will not be back against Sparta Prague, while it also remains to be seen when De Bruyne will be able to return from the pelvic issue that has seen him sidelined since the goalless draw with Inter Milan on September 18.
"I can't tell you, I don't know," Guardiola said of De Bruyne on Wednesday. "It's not a big issue, but he doesn't feel completely fine and Kevin is not 22 years old anymore.
"He has to be fit completely for his football. He is training a little bit better, but he said to me he still doesn't feel good, so I said take your time. Kyle as well is not ready.
"No injuries is the only reason how you can arrive until the end of the season, that's why the medical department, with the intensity of training you have to do, have to be so careful.
"I just pray for them to be fit. If they are one-and-a-half months out, there is no solution to that."
Nathan Ake returned to the bench at Molineux and starts here.
Rodri and Oscar Bobb are long-term absentees as City look for their second win of the new-look League phase, having made light work of Slovan Bratislava in a 4-0 victory last time out.
Man City starting XI: Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Ake, Gundogan, Bernardo, Nunes, Savinho, Foden, Haaland
Subs: Ederson, Carson, Dias, Kovacic, Gvardiol, O'Reilly, McAtee
Time and date: 8pm BST on Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Venue: Etihad Stadium
TV channel and live stream: TNT Sports
