Pep Guardiola admits he has an eye on Sunday’s FA Cup quarterfinals against Newcastle before Manchester City’s trip to Chelsea tonight.
The Catalan no longer has Sergio Agüero, who underwent knee surgery this week, and is determined not to overstretch his squad as City tries to navigate a congested season finale, which will also include the Champions League.
City is almost certain to be in the top four, while its Premier League title heads to Liverpool. Therefore, the FA Cup and Europe are likely to be his priorities in the coming weeks. Anything less than a victory tonight will give Liverpool the title.
John Stones is back in full training after missing the first two games of Project Restart, but Guardiola is taking a cautious approach to his players’ fitness. Elsewhere, Phil Foden is lost due to injury.
“I cannot deny that we have an eye on Newcastle,” he said. “Chelsea is a prestigious game, but Newcastle is a final for us.
“The selection of the team will depend on the physical condition. We will take a look at what will come next, not just the match against Chelsea.
“We have some kicks after the game [against Burnley], which is normal. It is necessary to see day by day how we can avoid injuries.
“We have to handle the situation, qualify mathematically for the Champions League and that is what we have to do.”
City man XI: Ederson, Walker, Laporte, Fernandinho, Mendy, Gundogan, Rodrigo, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Sterling
Subs: Carson, Jesús, Zinchenko, Sane, Silva, Otamendi, Doyle, Harwood-Bellis, Palmer
Chelsea XI: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen, Alonso, Kante, Mount, Barkley, Willian, Giroud, Pulisic
Subs: Knight, Zouma, James, Jorginho, Gilmour, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Pedro, Abraham
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