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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued injury updates on Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and John Stones ahead of their Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur. The two teams will meet at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, December 3.
Kovacic and Nunes, both of whom arrived this summer, have missed City's last two games across competitions due to unspecified injuries. Meanwhile, Stones has been out of action since being substituted at half-time against BSC Young Boys on November 7 with a muscle issue.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's match, Guardiola stated that Kovacic was back in training and hinted that he was in contention to play. The Manchester City boss added that Stones was also making good progress, and said Nunes still needs a little more time to make a full recovery.
“Mateo is already back, I think. He trained well yes, but Matheus is still maybe days or weeks away,” Guardiola said (as quoted by City's official website).
“He [Stones] is much better, yeah. He’s really close to coming back. He’ll be with us; he’ll be there.”
Among the trio, Stones has been the most affected by injury this term. The 29-year-old missed City's first nine matches of the season in all competitions with a hip injury. He played six times upon his return, but suffered another muscle problem early last month.
Kovacic, meanwhile, has already featured 14 times for his new club, starting 11 times, but is yet to score or assist a goal. Lastly, Nunes has featured 12 times (seven starts) across competitions and has laid out two assists.
City will notably be without Kevin De Bruyne on Sunday, with the Belgian still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained on Matchday 1 of the league season.
Manchester City's opponents Tottenham Hotspur have been hit hard by the injury bug
Manchester City's upcoming opponents Tottenham Hotspur are dealing with numerous injuries of their own.
Spurs will be without James Maddison (ankle), Micky van de Ven (hamstring) and Rodrigo Bentancur (ankle) on Sunday. Pape Matar Sarr is doubtful with a muscle problem, while Cristian Romero is suspended as he serves the last of his three-match ban after being sent off against Chelsea on November 6.
These absences have clearly affected Tottenham. Having begun the Premier League season by reeling off a 10-match unbeaten streak (eight wins, two draws), they enter this game after three straight defeats.
Those losses came against Chelsea (4-1), Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa (both 2-1). Van de Ven and Maddison both notably went off injured in the first match of the defeat against the Blues.
Manchester City, meanwhile, enter this match on a eight-match unbeaten streak across competitions. They have drawn 4-4 with Chelsea and 1-1 with Liverpool, and beaten Leipzig 3-2 in their last three games.
