Manchester City dealt blow as Pep Guardiola confirms 2 key players have picked up knocks

Manchester City have been dealt a double injury blow as manager Pep Guardiola revealed injuries to the duo of Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku. The pair of players were conspicuously absent as Guardiola named his squad to face Sparta Prague in the UEFA Champions League.

Pep Guardiola's side have had to deal with several injuries this season already, with the likes of Rodri, Oscar Bobb, Kyle Walker, and Kevin De Bruyne presently out of action. The Cityzens are in the hunt for a second Champions League title in three seasons, and a fifth straight league title.

Speaking ahead of the game against Sparta Prague at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola pointed out that both Grealish and Doku have suffered knocks. The Spanish manager revealed that he expects the England international to be out for 7-10 days, while Doku's recovery will take longer.

Doku featured from the start in their last-gasp 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend, playing 66 minutes before he was taken off by the manager. Grealish, on the other hand, featured for the last 17 minutes in the game after he was introduced in place of Savinho in the 73rd minute of the encounter by Pep Guardiola.

The former Bayern Munich and Barcelona manager has named only eight substitutes for the clash against the Czech side, including two goalkeepers. Manchester City will hope they have enough to defeat their opponents in their Matchday 3 clash, having won one and drawn one of their opening two games in the competition.

With games against Southampton in the league and Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup to come, Guardiola will hope for a return to action of his stars soon.

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Pep Guardiola names Nathan Ake in Manchester City XI for Sparta clash

Dutch defender Nathan Ake has been named in the starting XI for Manchester City as they prepare to face Sparta Prague in their UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 encounter. The experienced defender has been out of action since September, when he picked up a hamstring injury while on duty with the Dutch national team.

Ake made a matchday squad for the first time since his injury at the weekend when Manchester City defeated Wolves. The 29-year-old starts at left-back in place of Croatia international Josko Gvardiol, who drops to the bench.

Nathan Ake has played only once for Pep Guardiola's side in the Premier League this season, and his return to fitness will ease the load on Gvardiol. The versatile defender will hope to continue his side's trend of conceding no goals in the Champions League this season.