Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has just 13 first-team players to pick from for his side's Premier League match with Bournemouth - handing Arsenal and Liverpool a boost.
Arsenal and Liverpool's title aspirations have received a significant boost - following Pep Guardiola's revelation about the severity of Manchester City's current injury crisis. Guardiola disclosed he only has 13 first-team players available for their upcoming match against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
The champions are dealing with a slew of injuries - including Rodri's season-ending ACL rupture and Oscar Bobb's fractured leg - as well as ongoing absences of Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish owing to various injuries and with differing recovery time-frames.
The situation worsened on Wednesday night when Manuel Akanji suffered a calf injury during a warm-up, Ruben Dias was forced to leave the Tottenham defeat at half-time, and Savinho was stretchered off with an ankle injury.
With City facing a challenging schedule, including matches against Bournemouth, Sporting, and Brighton before the next international break, Guardiola is concerned about his team's prospects, acknowledging that any misstep could allow Arsenal and Liverpool to gain an advantage in the title race.
"We have 13 players, we are in real difficulties," he said during his latest press conference - as per The Mirror. The guys that play, they finish most of them with problems, and we'll see how they recover. I think we are in trouble.
Guardiola opened up further about the injury crisis at City, while adding: "In nine years we've never been in the situation with so many injuries. The players make a step forward, more together than ever, and we will try to do this week in this short time of recovery."
"Our captain is injured. I don't think he or Kevin will be back until after the international break. Jack Grealish as well. It's tough. Akanji felt something in the muscular part of his body - he wanted to take a risk, but we said no, no risks."
To illustrate the scale of their problem; when looking at the official squad list on City's official website, it confirms Guardiola's concerns about a significantly diminished side. Despite that, he might resort to integrating youth team members into the fray - out of necessity - as he has just 13 senior outfield professionals ready for action.
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