Pep Guardiola
Manchester City’s unbeaten start to the season ended on Wednesday evening when they were defeated 2-1 by Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. More concerning for the team, however, is the growing injury crisis that manager Pep Guardiola is currently managing as they prepare to face Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday. On a positive note, there has been some encouraging news off the pitch regarding the redevelopment of the North Stand at the Etihad Stadium.
Manu Akanji expects to be fit and available for Manchester City’s Premier League trip to Bournemouth after missing the Tottenham match due to injury. Initially named in the starting lineup for the Tottenham game, he was a late omission due to ‘something muscular in the meniscus,’ as clarified by Pep Guardiola. Although Akanji was initially fit to start, he experienced the same issue during the warm-up and the decision was made to not play him. In a recent report, Akanji mentioned he is ‘fine’ and anticipates training on Friday before being available for Saturday’s game.
Pep Guardiola said, “We are 13 players. We are in real difficulty but we have to make the effort. The guys who played, most finished with problems and we will see how they recover. I think when we are in trouble like we are – because in nine years I have never had this many injuries for this many reasons. In these situations, the players make a step forward, they are more together than ever and we will try to do this week in a short time for recovery.”
The redevelopment of the North Stand at the Etihad Stadium is making progress. Manchester City is adding 7,000 seats, increasing capacity to over 60,000, and ensuring the North Stand will join the other three sides of the stadium in reaching three tiers. The expansion includes plans to enhance fan areas within the stadium and create a large covered fan zone behind the North Stand. Additionally, a new hotel, museum, club megastore, and working areas are under construction as part of the £300 million project, scheduled for completion around the 2025/26 season.
