Aguero Out, Silva and Sterling Fit For Man City vs. Juventus
By Jay Sanin
With injuries having their impact on the squad, Manchester City knows who they will have for their Champions League clash between Man City and Juventus. Among those available will be midfielders David Silva and Raheem Sterling, while Sergio Aguero headlines the list of players who will miss out due to various ailments.
Both Silva and Sterling missed Man City’s 1-0 road win over Crystal Palace, but reports from Manchester indicate that they have both returned to training and should be match fit for a crucial first impression in this year’s Champions League, as City get ready to take on last year’s runner up Juventus.
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Meanwhile, Sergio Aguero will miss out on the match after falling victim to an injury after receiving a dirty tackle from Crystal Palace’s Scott Dann. Aguero’s injury is to his knee and, while it is not believed to be serious, Manuel Pellegrini and company want to make sure that there is no doubt about that before allowing him to see the field again. Wilfried Bony will probably start up front, with Kelechi Iheanacho potentially coming on as a sub.
Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy, and Fabian Delph are also out with their lingering injuries, while Samir Nasri and Fernandinho are still to be determined. Whether or not Fernandino and Nasri are able to play, City should still be able to use the 4-2-3-1 formation that they’ve seen success with this season, with Fernando plugging into where Fernandinho normally plays, Kevin De Bruyne taking Jesus Navas’ spot, with Navas coming off the bench as needed.
Fortunately, City’s back line appears to be in tact still, which is a huge break given that the foursome of Bacary Sagna, Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala, and Aleksandar Kolarov have yet to concede a goal in five matches this season.
While it’s not a perfect situation from an injury perspective, Man City should still put a formidable lineup out for Tuesday’s Champions League opener.