Manchester City’s injury woes continue to get worse as Fernandinho becomes just the latest star to require some time on the treatment table.
The Brazilian is said to be facing four to six weeks on the sidelines after picking up a leg injury in their victory over FC Porto on Wednesday night in the UEFA Champions League opener.
Fernandinho was not on the pitch for any more than 10 minutes as he was brought on as a second-half substitute in the 85th minute. However, he needed to be replaced by John Stones in stoppage time as he could no longer go on.
Pep Guardiola has confirmed the midfielder’s expected absence in his post-match conference and it will have only added pressure to a squad that is already having to deal with a number of concerns. Bettors that are facing concerns in regards to the bookmakers they are using should look to squash them by looking on online-betting.org for a top new one to use.
Fernandinho joins the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Aymeric Laporte and Benjamin Mendy – all of whom had missed the contest against FC Porto.
Nathan Ake was also missing as he was deemed unfit for the match against the Portuguese champions as he was said to have been dealing with “niggles in the groin” following their victory over Arsenal in their previous Premier League outing.
Ruben Dias and Eric Garcia formed the centre-back pairing for the game at the Etihad Stadium, and they could be in line to start the game against West Ham United on Saturday afternoon.
The Citizens have a great record when they travel to the London Stadium, which could provide them with some comfort in regards to those that could be missing from the tie at the weekend.
Good start to the Champions League campaign
Despite the injury to Fernandinho and the obvious disappointment that will bring, Guardiola will have been happy with the start his side made to their UEFA Champions League campaign.
The Citizens had fallen behind to a Luis Díaz goal inside the opening 15 minutes, however the Premier League giants managed to respond to their setback in emphatic fashion.
Sergio Aguero levelled the tie from the penalty spot when Pepe fouled Raheem Sterling just minutes later. Ilkay Gundogen would then hit a superb free-kick, whilst substitute Ferran Torres managed to get in on the act and complete the turnaround.
The English outfit would head to the top of the group as they joined Olympiakos on three points, with the Greek outfit securing a late winner against Olympique Marseille at home.
