Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and goalkeeper Ederson will miss Manchester City’s FA Cup quarter-final game against Newcastle United due to injuries, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.
Ederson was forced to come off during City’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool following a challenge on Darwin Nunez, conceding a penalty.
Meanwhile, De Bruyne has a groin strain which resulted in him being left out of Belgium’s squad for friendlies with Ireland and England this month.
“Kevin’s not ready. He already played in Anfield with some problems. But he’s getting better. He’s not ready for tomorrow. We spoke with Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco and he decided,” Guardiola told reporters ahead of Saturday’s game.
“I’m grateful because he didn’t feel good and he could recover for the rest of the season. He played well (against Liverpool). All the players have problems, but the day after he didn’t feel good, it’s better to take care,” he said.
“Eddie (Ederson) is getting better, hopefully he’ll be ready after the international break. Tomorrow, for sure (he will not play). He’ll have two weeks off then, he’ll recover, we’ll see how he feels,” he added.
Guardiola also confirmed Jack Grealish has returned from a groin injury and will be a part of the squad. Grealish has not played since its 6-2 win over Luton Town in the FA Cup fifth round.
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City are facing Newcastle for the fourth time this season, having beaten it twice in the league, but Eddie Howe’s side knocked City out of the League Cup in September.
“This season and previous ones, since Eddie Howe was there and the people from Saudi Arabia took over (the club), it’s always been tight games. We don’t expect anything different,” Guardiola said.
“We have an incredible chance at home with our people. We need the support of our fans in home games like we had against Manchester United (in a 3-1 comeback win), I don’t remember that environment for a long time,” he said.
“Tomorrow isn’t an exception. We need it to reach the semi-final at Wembley again,” he concluded.
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