Aguero, De Bruyne boost for Man City

MANCHESTER: Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne are both on the verge of a return to action for Manchester City as a busy December programme gathers pace, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.

Aguero, City’s leading scorer, has missed their past four matches with a groin problem but has been able to train without discomfort and could face Everton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Belgium midfielder De Bruyne suffered ligament damage to his right knee in August and although he returned in October, he then injured his left knee during the League Cup win over Fulham on November 1.

He too has resumed full training and Guardiola will assess both players in the hope that his lengthy casualty list might be about to ease.

CHELSEA VOW ACTION AGAINST RACIAL ABUSE

LONDON: Chelsea have promised to take the “strongest possible action” against any supporters found to have sung an anti-semitic chant in Budapest, just days after four fans were suspended for abusing Raheem Sterling.

Minutes into Thursday’s Europa League clash with Vidi in Budapest’s Groupama Arena, which ended 2-2, a vocal minority of Chelsea fans were heard singing a derogatory chant about Tottenham supporters, featuring anti-semitic language.

“Anti-semitism and any other kind of race-related or religious hatred is abhorrent to this club and the overhwheling majority of our fans,” said a Chelsea spokesman on Friday.

WEST HAM’S WILSHERE SUFFERS ANKLE INJURY

LONDON: West Ham United midfielder Jack Wilshere has sustained an ankle injury, putting him in doubt for a busy run of Premier League fixtures this month, manager Manuel Pellegrini has said.

Wilshere, whose career has been blighted by fitness issues, returned to action after left ankle surgery earlier this month but suffered a fresh injury to his right leg that has kept him out of the last two league matches.

Is it more serious than first thought? Maybe, because when he felt the pain it was in his ‘good’ ankle, not the ankle where he had the surgery,” Pellegrini told a news conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Fulham. RESULTS: Bombay Republicans (Sanket Dhotre 2, Bhim Batla, Darshan Gawkar, Kushal Meghwal) beat Mumbai Port Trust 2 (Leonard Pereira, Nitin Kumar); Indian Navy 4

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