Why Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish are missing from Manchester City against Sparta Prague tonight | OneFootball

Manchester City have revealed why both Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku are absent from Pep Guardiola’s matchday squad against Sparta Prague tonight.

It is the latest deterioration in options to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City squad, with two long-term injuries still outstanding as Oscar Bobb continues to recover from a broken bone in his leg, with a return date pencilled in for January to February 2025.

Rodri is also sidelined having sustained damage to his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus during the 2-2 draw against Arsenal in September, undergoing surgery in Spain and being ruled out for the entirety of the ongoing season.

Kyle Walker became the latest player to sustain a fresh injury problem via the international break, after the England international missed the weekend’s 1-2 win over Wolves with Pep Guardiola revealing the 34-year-old had sustained a knee issue.

Kevin De Bruyne is back with the rest of his Manchester City teammates in training, but will not return to matchday duties until he is feeling ‘100 per cent’, according to manager Pep Guardiola during a recent press conference.

But to further add to the Catalan’s growing problems is the absence of two of his most important wide stars, with Manchester City’s left-side of their front-three now being hugely depleted in Champions League action this week.

As confirmed by Manchester City on their official club website ahead of matchday three in the UEFA Champions League against Sparta Prague, both Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku are absent from the squad as they are ‘not fully fit’.

Ahead of the contest at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, manager Pep Guardiola confirmed that Jack Grealish will now be ruled out for between seven and 10 days, with Jeremy Doku out for ‘longer’.

“Injured, both,” Guardiola told broadcasters. “Jeremy [Doku] a little longer than Jack [Grealish], but both are injured after the last games… I don’t know [how long they will be out for]. Hopefully Jack will be maybe one week, 10 days, Jeremy a little longer.”

Both Grealish and Doku were the most notable of the new absentees from Manchester City’s open training session on Tuesday afternoon, despite the former being present in the opening session of the week on Monday morning.

The absences of Doku and Grealish will now likely mean that there will be increased responsibility placed on Phil Foden to operate in a wider role, interchanging with Bernardo Silva in particular matches.

In turn, Guardiola is likely to turn to the likes of Matheus Nunes and James McAtee in the centre of the park in more matches, while there may be more consideration placed on recruiting during the upcoming January transfer window.