Boost for Tottenham as Pep Guardiola confirms injury to key first-team player
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that midfielder Mateo Kovacic will miss this weekend’s Premier League showdown against Tottenham Hotspur. The Croatian is sidelined for up to a month, adding to City’s growing injury concerns.
City are in the midst of a rare slump, having suffered four consecutive defeats. Their losing streak began with a 2-1 League Cup defeat to Tottenham, followed by a shock 2-1 Premier League loss to Bournemouth. They were then thrashed 4-1 by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League before losing 2-1 to Brighton in the Premier League.
Guardiola, who just signed a contract extension at the Etihad, will be keen to return to winning ways but faces a tough challenge against Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham, a side that has recently outperformed City.
Pep Guardiola confirms Mateo Kovacic injury
Adding to City’s struggles is the absence of key players. Star player Rodri is ruled out for almost the rest of the season after tearing his ACL, leaving a massive void in the team that Kovacic had filled impressively. The former Chelsea midfielder featured in 15 of City’s first 18 matches this season but has now joined the injury list.
The City manager confirmed that the Croatian has picked up an injury and will miss a month of action. Speaking to the press ahead of the Spurs game, Guardiola said about the Croatian (via Daily Mail):
“He will be a while – three weeks or a month. More or less.”
This setback further limits Guardiola’s options in midfield and could give a significant boost to Tottenham.
Tottenham have injury problems of their own
Spurs are dealing with their own injury crisis. Star centre-back duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven remain sidelined, while attackers Wilson Odobert and Richarlison are also out with long-term injuries. Additionally, promising youngster Mikey Moore is unavailable due to a virus.
Postecoglou’s side is coming off a shock defeat to Ipswich Town and will be eager to bounce back. Despite their injury woes, Spurs will look to capitalise on City’s poor form and depleted midfield.
Both sides have much to prove going into the weekend. Guardiola’s men will aim to stop their losing streak and close the gap between them and first placed Liverpool. While Tottenham will hope to get back to winning ways and climb up the table to continue challenging for the top 4.
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