Manchester City traveled to the game against Manchester United – Pep Guardiola – with three fit defenders

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City will only have three fit defenders for Sunday’s game against Manchester United and admits he does not yet know who will make up his defense.

City are missing Rico Lewis through suspension, as well as John Stones, who suffered a foot injury in the defeat to Tottenham in November, and Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji, who were injured in last week’s win over Nottingham Forest.

Guardiola says Akanji and Ake sustained these injuries because they were struggling with pain at the start of City’s run of just one win in 10 games, part of an injury crisis that has plagued the team.

“I don’t know, I don’t know what I have to do,” he said at his press conference on Friday. “I need players, we have three (defenders) and we will see what happens today and tomorrow with the players we have.”

“We’ll think about it, maybe a winger has to play as a full-back, maybe Matheus (Nunes) can play as a full-back, or maybe we play five at the back if the full-backs are wingers. “I don’t know, we’re thinking about what to do with the situation should do because we only have three defenders.”

City lost Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to a serious knee injury in September, while Kevin De Bruyne was out for around ten weeks with a sports hernia.

Phil Foden has been in the team with various ailments and Mateo Kovacic has also been out of action since the November international break, but both were fit enough for the bench during the midweek defeat at Juventus.

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