Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that he is concerned about Thursday night’s Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool due to the lack of players available to him following the World Cu.
While the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan have returned to Manchester following their exits in the group stages of the World Cup, City’s players who made it to the knockout stages of the Qatar tournament – including those who featured for the likes of England, Brazil, Portugal and the Netherlands – are currently unavailable.
Speaking to City’s in-house media after De Bruyne and Erling Haaland scored in a 2-0 victory over Girona at the Academy Stadium, Guardiola said: “We have no players. Four or five players [are here] so we have to see how and when they [all] come back.
“We are in a difficult [position]. We don’t have players but the big brains in football made this schedule so we are going to play this game.
When asked if he was expecting any of those who have been at the World Cup to return this week, Guardiola responded: “Some players are coming now, yeah, in the next few days.
