Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that Jeremy Doku is expected to be sidelined “for a while” ahead of the Cityzens’ crucial Champions League fixture against Belgian Pro League side Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Doku had delivered an impressive run of form earlier this month, contributing three goals and three assists in back-to-back games against Salford City and Ipswich Town. However, he missed last week’s match against Paris Saint-Germain due to injury and was also unavailable for Saturday’s dramatic comeback victory over Chelsea.
While there is no specific timeline for Doku’s return, he has been ruled out of Wednesday’s clash with Club Brugge and is unlikely to feature in next Sunday’s important showdown against Arsenal.
“A while. I don’t know how much, but a while, yes. He will not be ready for Wednesday, for sure. I don’t think so for Arsenal [either]. We’ll see,” Guardiola explained.
“The problem is we continue with the problems. Khusanov should not have played; he had to take time to do it.
“It’s not easy against Chelsea in the Premier League, coming from another country and not communicating much with his teammates and arriving with no training sessions to see what you want to do, what the process you have, and the other ones.
“To start in that way he started; imagine all of us living what Khusanov has lived and what happened happened, it would be, ‘Oh God!’…but the situation is Ruben [Dias] is not there, Nathan [Ake] neither so we’re lucky that Manu [Akanji] stayed and John [Stones] can help us for our final on Wednesday.”
Guardiola has described City’s clash with Club Brugge as a “final,” with their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread. Their poor form, with just two wins from their first seven games and no victories in the last five, has left them outside the top 24 ahead of matchday eight.
Manchester City must beat Brugge and rely on favorable results elsewhere to stay in the Champions League. The best they can achieve is 19th place, requiring a play-off to reach the knockout stage. A loss would see them eliminated at the group stage for the first time since 2012/2013.
Olaoluwa is a dedicated sports writer and passionate football enthusiast with two years of experience. Known for his keen analysis and commitment to the game, his work reflects a deep love for football, blending strategic insight with the emotional moments that make it a global passion. He is focused on honing his skills and consistently aims to inspire and engage readers through every article he writes.
