Pep Guardiola provides fitness update on two Manchester City players ahead of Chelsea trip

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has delivered an update on his squad’s fitness for their upcoming trip to Stamford Bridge.

The Premier League champions will be looking to return to winning ways against Graham Potter and Chelsea after dropping further ground in the title race with a 1-1 draw against Everton last time out.

City can reduce the gap between first and second place to five points with a win in west London on Thursday evening.

In the next two weeks, Guardiola and his men face off twice against Chelsea, followed by games against Southampton, Tottenham and Manchester United.

Speaking ahead of the first of two clashes against Chelsea, the Manchester City boss ruled out Ruben Dias from Thursday’s visit to Stamford Bridge.

The Portugal international returned from the Qatar World Cup with a hamstring/thigh issue and is expected to remain on the sidelines for the next few weeks.

Guardiola added that a decision on Aymeric Laporte’s fitness will be taken later on Wednesday as the 28-year-old recovers from a lower back problem that forced him out of the matchday squad against Everton last weekend.

His verdicts on Dias and Laporte are likely to mean Guardiola will stick with Manuel Akanji and John Stones in central defence against Chelsea, whom City welcome to the Etihad Stadium in the FA Cup third-round on Sunday.

Rico Lewis, who has been linked with a new contract following some exemplary displays at right back since his rise from City’s academy setup, could retain his spot in the back four in west London.

Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo both began City’s draw against Everton on the bench and Guardiola seemingly questioned the body language of some of his regular first-team players in training.

The reigning Premier League champions can begin 2023 on a positive note with all three points against Chelsea, who are yet to truly find their feet under Graham Potter.