Dugout Discussion

City players missing with COVID-19 revealed as fit-again Ziyech returns

A Manchester City squad hit by injury and illness take on Chelsea in the second of today’s two Premier League fixtures.

Kick-off at Stamford Bridge is at 16:30 GMT.

The visitors are missing six of their squad because of COVID-19 positive tests.

The unavailability of Kyle Walker (£6.1m) and Gabriel Jesus (£9.1m) we were already aware of, while social media posts from Ederson (£6.0m) and Tommy Doyle (£4.4m) all but confirmed that they too were among those self-isolating.

Ferran Torres (£6.9m) and Eric Garcia (£4.7m) have reportedly been added to that list, with the latter still struggling with injury, too.

Despite the shortage of options, Sergio Aguero (£10.3m) is still only among the substitutes for this afternoon’s fixture.

Goalkeeper Zack Steffen (£4.4m) makes his Premier League debut as Pep Guardiola makes three changes to the City side that beat Newcastle 2-0 in Gameweek 15.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.5m) and Phil Foden (£6.2m) are also recalled, with Ederson, Torres and Nathan Ake (£5.4m) dropping out.

Ake is absent because of “fitness issues”, while Aymeric Laporte (£6.0m) misses out because of a tight hamstring.

Benjamin Mendy (£5.9m) is on the bench, despite his off-field misdeeds.

Frank Lampard makes five changes to the Chelsea team that drew 1-1 at home to Aston Villa last Monday.

Timo Werner (£9.2m) is recalled, while Hakim Ziyech (£8.1m) makes his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury in early December.

Thiago Silva (£5.6m), Kurt Zouma (£5.8m) and Mateo Kovacic (£5.3m) also return to the side.

Reece James (£5.2m) is again absent through injury, while Olivier Giroud (£6.7m), Andreas Christensen (£4.7m), Antonio Rudiger (£4.7m), Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5.7m) and Jorginho (£4.7m) drop out of the starting XI.


Chelsea XI: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Thiago Silva, Chilwell, Kanté, Kovacic, Mount, Pulisic, Werner, Ziyech.

Manchester City XI: Steffen, Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Zinchenko, Rodrigo, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Foden, Bernardo, Sterling

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2,436 Comments Post a Comment
  1. HD7
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Oops

  2. The Train Driver
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Yayyyyy KDB keeps CS, no City defenders. Perfect!

  3. Scots Gooner
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Argh, FFS 91st min...

  4. yousunkmybattleship
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Not sure what’s funnier Werner kicking the corner flag whilst trying to take a corner or Chelsea scoring with 1 minute left...

    1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Werner being tackled by the corner flag will be funny forever

      1. aborg
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Lol would like to see a highlight of that

  5. Niho992
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Coufal benched for Dias and Dallas. Beautiful

    1. Forgetmeknot
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Coufal benched for cancelo and Justin.

  6. Tasty Jerk
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Wipe that City CS - great stuff 🙂

    1. Milk, 1 Šuker
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Amazing name there mate.

  7. Milk, 1 Šuker
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    CS wiped!!

  8. Thomas Shelby from Birmingh…
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Got my KDB CS point

    1. Thomas Shelby from Birmingh…
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Thankyou Pep

  9. Gobigorgohome
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    BENCHING DIAS WAS NOT A BAD DECISION

  10. Christina.
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    nice. Justice for all us Justin owners.

  11. DMP
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Perfect.

  12. Champions League Varane
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    FFS

  13. djman102
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Karma for me celebrating Justin's CS wipe.

  14. Baines on Toast...
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    This is why owning defenders who don’t attack is terrible

  15. Camino Aleatorio
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Clean SHEET IS GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Yes

  16. Bring the Cavalry
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    How has zinchenko been at city for so long? He is awful

    1. Forever In Our Shadow
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      It was his fault.

  17. jimmyabs1987
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Can’t believe that CS wiped so late

  18. TyroneGAA
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Wow

  19. F_Ivanovic
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Benched Dias 🙂

  20. Cilly Bonnolly
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Oh f**k off. Is it not bad enough I got rid of Foden this week, now you want to take my Dias clean sheet? Hate this game sometimes.

  21. HollywoodXI
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    That meaningless goal just cost me 5 points for Cancelo 🙁

    1. Saka Punch
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Cost me 9 points 🙁

      1. Lord.
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        It cost me one of KDB’s baps but I’m gonna be brave and suck it up.

  22. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Can we get a final Dias & Cancelo BPS update please...

  23. OptimusBlack
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    USELESS

  24. Kodap
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    that is so annoying

  25. nerd_is_the_werd
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    YES!!!!
    CITY CLEAN SHEETS AND DOUBLE-UPS BUSTED!!!

  26. Salan
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    OMG CS gone... Great!

  27. BeWater
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Only had Cancelo involved in that game. Sat through 91 minutes only for that to happen.

    1. BigBillyBass
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Hilarious!

    2. gooberman
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I never watch games when I only have defenders playing for exactly this reason. 2hrs of your life you will never get back.

  28. KAALI_DAAL
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Dias noooooooo

  29. The 12th Man
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Going Chilwell over Cancelo doesn’t hurt so much now.

  30. Party time
      3 years, 2 months ago

      City cleansheet turns into ashes