There’ll be no pre-match press conference or Manchester City team news ahead of Gameweek 18 after Pep Guardiola recorded an ‘inconclusive’ coronavirus test on Friday morning.
The City boss is undergoing a second PCR test to clarify the result but will not face the media today ahead of Sunday’s trip to Newcastle United.
That means we likely won’t get an update on the condition of Bernardo Silva (£7.7m) and Kyle Walker (£5.5m), who are both currently flagged in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), or any other fresh fitness concerns ahead of Saturday’s deadline at 13:30 GMT.
At present, there are no suggestions that any of City’s players are affected by Covid-19. The weekend clash at St James’ Park likely wouldn’t be at risk if Guardiola alone returns a positive test; Newcastle, of course, faced Arsenal in Gameweek 13 when their own manager, Eddie Howe, was hit by the virus.
Guardiola reportedly travelled to Barcelona on Wednesday with his sporting director Txiki Begiristain and coach Lorenzo Buenaventura to attend Sergio Aguero’s retirement press conference.
He had, however, previously said that some staff members at City had tested positive for Covid ahead of the Leeds game, a match that nevertheless still went ahead.
As if we needed any further incentive for saving our transfers closer to the FPL deadline, this is it.
