Manchester Metropolis will get the possibility to increase their lead on the high of the younger Premier League desk on Saturday once they go to Newcastle United within the day’s early kick-off.
Pep Guardiola’s aspect left it late of their final Premier League recreation, with John Stones scoring deep into stoppage time to rescue a degree towards title rivals Arsenal in an action-packed conflict.
This got here regardless of Metropolis seeing their influential midfielder Rodri limp off with what proved to be a severe knee damage, whereas skipper Kevin De Bruyne has been absent since limping off towards Inter Milan earlier this month.
Is Kevin De Bruyne injured this weekend?
Manchester Metropolis supervisor Pep Guardiola could also be with out De Bruyne this weekend (Picture credit score: Alamy)
De Bruyne was withdrawn at half-time of Metropolis’s first Champions League match of the season on September 18, with Guardiola confirming after the sport that the Belgian was struggling with a thigh damage.
The 33-year-old was not current within the matchday squad to face Arsenal and he was not a part of the crew that beat Watford within the Carabao Cup third spherical on Tuesday night.
Phil Foden stepped up in De Bruyne’s absence final season (Picture credit score: Getty Pictures)
De Bruyne absence got here after Guardiola gave an replace to reporters previous to the win over the Hornets.
“I don’t suppose it is going to be lengthy,” the Metropolis boss stated when quizzed in regards to the Belgian. “However he was not in a position to [face Arsenal], I cannot say Watford, I don’t know for Newcastle. However I feel it is not going to be lengthy.”
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Guardiola will face the media once more on Friday afternoon to provide his remaining pre-match ideas in regards to the journey to the north east and we’ll then have a greater concept of whether or not or not the Metropolis skipper might be concerned this weekend.
The membership confirmed the information that every one Metropolis followers had been dreading earlier this week, once they gave an replace on Rodri’s damage, with the Spaniard set to overlook an prolonged time frame, that means Mateo Kovacic is more likely to fill that exact void.
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Subsequent up after the Newcastle journey might be a midweek jaunt to Slovakia to face Slovan Bratisalava, earlier than Metropolis host Fulham subsequent weekend within the remaining fixture earlier than the worldwide break.
De Bruyne battled a lot of accidents final season, proscribing him to only 18 Premier League appearances, his lowest complete since becoming a member of the membership in 2015.