Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that midfielder Mateo Kovacic will miss this weekend’s Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur. The Croatian is out for up to a month, adding to City’s growing injury concerns.
City are in the midst of a rare slump, having suffered four successive 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 beaten 4-1 by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League before losing 2-1 to Brighton in the Premier League.
Guardiola, who has just signed a contract extension at the Etihad, will be keen to get back to winning ways but faces a tough challenge against Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham, a side who recently overcame City.
Pep Guardiola confirms Mateo Kovacic’s injury
Adding to City’s struggles is the absence of key players. Star player Rodri is ruled out for most of the rest of the season after tearing the ACLleaving a huge void in the team that Kovacic had impressively filled. The former Chelsea midfielder featured in 15 of City’s first 18 games this season but has now joined the injury list.
The City manager has confirmed that the Croatian has been injured and will miss a month of action. Speaking to the press before the Spurs game, Guardiola said of the Croatian (via Daily Mail):
“It will be a while: three weeks or a month. More or less.”
This setback further limits Guardiola’s midfield options and could give Tottenham a major boost.
Tottenham have injury problems
Spurs are dealing with their own injury crisis. Star central duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven remain on the sidelines, while the forwards Wilson Odobert and Richarlison are also out with long-term injuries. Also, promising youngster Mikey Moore is unavailable due to a virus.
Postecoglou’s side are coming off a shock defeat to Ipswich Town and will be keen to bounce back. Despite their injury problems, Spurs will be looking to capitalize on City’s poor form and depleted midfield.
Both sides have a lot to prove heading into the weekend. Guardiola’s men will be aiming to halt their losing streak and close the gap on leaders Liverpool. While Tottenham will be hoping to return to winning ways and climb the table to continue challenging for the top 4.
