Neither Kevin De Bruyne nor Aymeric Laporte will travel to Germany for Wednesday night’s crucial Champions League last-16 showdown with RB Leipzig.
Pep Guardiola is set to shuffle the pack but will be without two of his most crucial stars for the trip, perhaps with an eye on Saturday’s clash with Bournemouth as they look to reignite their Premier League title bid.
The champions dropped two points on the road at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, allowing Arsenal to regain the lead at the top with a two-point advantage over their rivals.
However, despite being a vital component of the title-winning sides since his 2017 arrival, Laporte has managed only 15 games in all competitions as he struggles with injury this campaign.
The reason for their absence is still unclear, though both players played the vast majority of Saturday’s tie at the City Ground.
Laporte saw out the entirety of the game and De Bruyne left the field on 88 minutes, Guardiola’s first change of the match.
The Belgian playmaker is on course for one of his most productive seasons at Man City, having already racked up 18 assists in all competitions, as well as four goals.
But there is still plenty of quality within the visitors’ ranks waiting in the wings, with the likes of Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri and Kalvin Phillips all able to replace him.
In the case of Laporte, Guardiola will be able to call upon Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake at the back, with Kyle Walker also having stood in at centre-back on Saturday.
John Stones has been out of the side since the clash against Arsenal after suffering a thigh injury that Guardiola suggested would see him miss most of the club’s February schedule.
The reigning Premier League champions may have a squad blessed with a number of the game’s leading talents, but they are still being hard-pressed by Arsenal in the English top-flight.
The Citizens head into the tie as favourites against the Germans, despite the hosts’ strong form domestically that leaves them just four points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.
Marco Rose’s side have already shown themselves capable of an upset in the Champions League.
RB Leipzig beat holders Real Madrid 3-2 in front of their home crowd in the penultimate game of the group stage back in October, having lost their first meeting 2-0 in the Spanish capital.
SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk
