Why John Stones is absent from the Manchester City squad vs Southampton

John Stones is absent from the Manchester City matchday squad against Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

Pep Guardiola’s squad travel to the south coast with eyes on the final-four of a competition that offered the reigning Premier League champions plenty of joy in recent years.

City have already knocked out Chelsea and Liverpool during the early stages of the tournament in the third and fourth round respectively, providing them with a good opportunity to now progress all the way to the final, given the opposition remaining.

However, despite the strength of their squad that takes on Southampton in the quarter-final tie on Wednesday night, the notable omission from the matchday squad is John Stones, with the England international currently in a rich vein of form.

Ahead of kick-off, and following the release of official line-ups, John Stones is confirmed to be ‘not fully fit’ for tonight’s clash at St. Mary’s, with no further word on his fitness.

Pep Guardiola’s line-up to face Southampton may offer supporters with a hint as to who could start to face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland named among the substitutes.

Also among the substitutes for Manchester City are Ederson, Nathan Ake, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Manuel Akanji, and Riyad Mahrez, which suggests that they all may be selected to start against their bitter city rivals in the Premier League.

Interestingly, Rico Lewis has also been named on the bench for the Carabao Cup quarter-final, with the 18 year-old having flourished in some of City’s biggest games following the World Cup, and perhaps arguably the biggest of them all is on the horizon.