Manchester City fitness and injury situation to remain unknown until Christmas Day confirms Pep Guardiola | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola will not know the full availability of his Manchester City squad until Christmas Day, the Manchester City manager has revealed.

The Premier League champions are desperate to find some form and consistency in their season, after their last 12 matches have brought about a torrid return of just one win and nine defeats.

The latest of those flaws have come in the UEFA Champions League and a 2-0 defeat at Juventus, as well as a calamitous 1-2 home loss to Manchester United, before the same scoreline would be inflicted by Aston Villa last weekend.

Injury and fitness problems have largely been credited as the reason behind Manchester City’s struggles, but those who have remained available are struggling to execute the vision of Guardiola – who seems to have an ageing squad lacking in confidence at his disposal.

The list of available players was worsened prior to and during the visit to Villa Park last weekend, with Matheus Nunes, Ederson, and Ruben Dias all ruled out through new injuries prior to the match, and John Stones withdrawing at half-time.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference on the subject of how many players will be available for the visit of Everton on Boxing Day, Pep Guardiola insisted that the full picture would not become available until after training has been completed.

“We train this afternoon and we’ll see how many players we have available,” Guardiola told reporters. “Right now, I don’t know.”

One new injury blow that is certain to carry on into the visit of Sean Dyche’s side is that of John Stones’ problem, with the England international ruled out of this week’s affair at the Etihad Stadium.

“Still I didn’t talk with the doctors, but apparently if he could not continue in the second-half in Villa Park, it’s because he will not be ready,” Guardiola continued on the subject of his central defensive option.

Manchester City head into their Boxing Day fixture lying seventh in the Premier League table and having won only one game in their last 12 matches across competitions in a 3-0 home win over Nottingham Forest.

However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are in a rich vein of form themselves and sit above Manchester City defeat that scoreline, alongside the likes of Bournemouth and Aston Villa all within the Premier League’s top-six.