Pep Guardiola provides an update on Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva after the Manchester City duo limped off during the 3-1 Champions League victory over FC Copenhagen on Tuesday.
Manchester City is set to encounter Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium this Saturday.
Jack Grealish, having recently returned to the starting lineup after an absence of over a month, was forced off the pitch just 21 minutes into the game due to a groin problem.
Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva, who managed to notch City’s second goal, encountered a significant knock to his ankle during the latter stages of the match.
These developments add an element of concern to Manchester City‘s preparations for their upcoming clash with Chelsea,
as the status of both Grealish and Silva remains uncertain, posing potential challenges for Pep Guardiola‘s squad selection and tactics heading into the pivotal encounter.
Guardiola;
“I didn’t speak with the doctor but it looks muscular with Jack.”
“The last few days his mood in training was much better.
“He felt it on the grass and started to complain. The players can feel it immediately if it’s muscular.
He wanted to continue but we didn’t want to make the damage even worse.
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We’ll take tests tomorrow [Wednesday]. Bernardo has a big knock on his ankle.”
Mateo Kovacic and defender Josko Gvardiol were unable to make the trip to Denmark because of injuries.
“Josko is two or three weeks [out]. It’s ankle ligament. Kova could come back. Every game and training session we lose players and that is not good.”
Injuries to Grealish and Silva were a blow to Guardiola on a night when City took a big step towards the Champions League quarterfinals.
De Bruyne scored the first before making goals for Silva and Phil Foden to give the reigning champions a big advantage ahead of the second leg in Manchester on March 6.
“I know how difficult it is,” Guardiola added.
“It’s a really tough opponent. We made perfect concepts today. My job is to warn the players about the attributes they have.
“We behaved with character, personality and patience.
Everyone was at a top level. It’s not decisive but it’s a good result. Hopefully we can make the quarterfinals.”
