BOURNEMOUTH V CITY Ben has mended for possible start

BENJAMIN Mendy could make his debut for City after recovering from a thigh injury.

The left-back has been included in Pep Guardiola’s travelling squad for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Bournemouth after missing all of pre-season and the first two games of the campaign.

Guardiola would not confirm if the French international would play any part – but Kyle Walker’s suspension leaves City short of full-back options.

Danilo is set to play on the right in Walker’s absence, which could see Mendy start on the left.

Guardiola said: “Mendy is travelling with us. I don’t know if he is going to play, but he is travelling with us because Kyle cannot play.”

Ilkay Gundogan is also close to returning to first-team contention following knee ligament damage in December.

The German international was due to play for the reserves on Friday night.

City face Bournemouth after Monday’s 1-1 draw with Everton.

Guardiola added: “We dropped two points, but in general we made good things.

“I am happy with the performances so far this season.

“Bournemouth are a team who want to play.

“The manager is so good in those terms. They start with two defeats, but sometimes that can happen.” PEP Guardiola is ready to turn to Raheem Sterling after admitting growing concerns over City’s wastefulness in front of goal.

Sterling came off the bench to rescue a point against Everton on Monday and is in line to start against Bournemouth in today’s lunchtime kick-off.

After only two games of the season Guardiola fears City will be plagued by the problems that cost them last term when they repeatedly failed to make their dominance count.

He has watched as a host of chances have gone begging against Brighton and Everton and hopes Sterling can provide more of a cutting edge in a central role.

“In the pre-season last term, Raheem played all the time out wide, and this season, since the pre-season game against Real Madrid, he has played more as a number 10, behind the striker,” said the City manager.

“He is so dangerous in that “I never will doubt Sergio (Aguero) and Gabriel (Jesus). Even Kevin (de Bruyne) is a guy who scored 12 to 15 goals last season and made 21. “But you see the game and watch Everton 11 v 10 for more than 50 minutes, you saw how many chances they create. “They were 11 weweren’table.against 10, but we still had more chances. “We see our chances against City boss one of the best Pep Guardiola defensive teams. “We created enough to win the game, even with 10, but “It’s a little bit like last season. “We are going to try to find the chance to be confident, and one day it is going to click, and we are going to score goals.” Sterling and Leroy Sane are both expected to start against Bournemouth in an attacking line-up that could also include Aguero and Jesus. position. I like him to sit there closer to the middle, because he commits the central defenders, he is so aggressive in the small spaces. That is good.

“He scored a goal. In the last four or five games, he scored a goal per game.

“Hopefully, the goal he scored in the last game can help his confidence.

“He can say: ‘I’m going to score a goal.’ I hope the guys who score goals can get that.”

Guardiola has spent the summer pursuing Kylian Mbappe and Alexis Sanchez in a bid to add to his attacking options.

And after bemoaning his side’s wastefulness for much of his first season in charge at City, he admits it is still a worry.

“I’m concerned,” he said. “We have guys who can score goals.