Manchester City dealt blow as Guardiola confirms 2 first-team stars set to miss UCL clash with Sparta Praha

Manchester City have been dealt a blow ahead of their home clash with Sparta Praha in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (October 23), as manager Pep Guardiola confirmed the unavailability of Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne.

Walker and De Bruyne are both out injured and didn't partake in the team's 2-1 Premier League win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday (October 20). Walker returned from international duty with a knock, which kept him out from the Wolves game. De Bruyne, meanwhile, has been out of action for over a month with a hamstring injury.

When asked if they could return to the starting lineup for the Champions League clash in midweek, Guardiola told Sky Sports (via Manchester Evening News):

"I don't think they will be ready (for midweek). We have a few days training, but I don't think so."

The manager will hope that the duo, who have been instrumental in recent years, returns to full fitness soon. Walker has played 308 games for Manchester City, scoring six goals and providing 23 assists since arriving in 2017. De Bruyne, meanwhile, has played 388 matches, scoring 103 goals and providing 171 assists since 2015.

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Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City played well against Wolves

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola believes his side performed well against relegation-threatened Wolves in their Premier League. An early goal for the hosts at the Molineux came through a counter attack as Jorgen Strand Larsen found the back of the net in the seventh minute.

However, City found the equaliser in the 33rd minute with a brilliant effort from distance by Josko Gvardiol. It took till the fifth minute of stoppage time for John Stones to find the winner for the Cityzens.

While it seemed like a subpar performance from them, Guardiola disagreed (via Manchester Evening News):

"I’m sorry to disagree, but I thought we played really really good. You can’t press because (goalkeeper Jose) Sa is long ball. We win the duel, which is fine, and then there’s 11 players on the penalty spot, so breaking them down is so difficult.

"We were patience, and making runs and crosses we have a lot of chances because we don’t have the tallest team to attack crosses. That’s why I have the opinion that it’s an excellent performance."

Manchester City held 78% of possession, making 657 passes with 90% accuracy. Wolves did most of the defending, holding only 22% possession and making 143 passes with 66% accuracy. The hosts also had just three shots at goal, with two on target, while City had 22 shots, with seven on target.