Pep Guardiola has confirmed that four Manchester City players will be absent from the Southampton match.

Pep Guardiola has confirmed that four Manchester City players will be absent from the Southampton match.

Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish, and Pep Guardiola have all confirmed they be absent for Manchester City’s game against Southampton. De Bruyne, two-time Premier League Player of the Season, missed the last seven games in all competitions after developing a groin ailment midway through City’s goalless draw with Inter Milan last month. A knee issue has caused Walker to miss City’s last two games; wingers Doku and Grealish are both absent with minor bruises. Though the champions are blessed with strength in depth most other teams could only dream of, it leaves Guardiola with a number of choice conundrums ahead of the clash between second-ranked City and second-bottom Southampton.

Pep Guardiola has stated that Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku, and Jack Grealish will all be unavailable for Manchester City’s match against Southampton. De Bruyne, a two-time Premier League Player of the Season, was forced out with a groin injury midway through City’s goalless draw with Inter Milan last month and has missed the club’s previous seven games in all competitions. Walker, meanwhile, has missed City’s last two games owing to a knee injury, while wingers Doku and Grealish are all sidelined with minor injuries. Guardiola now faces a lot of selection quandaries ahead of the weekend’s match between second-placed City and second-bottom Southampton, despite the fact that the champions have depth that most other clubs can only dream of.