Aguero almost fit – Pep
City’s goal wizard poised to return from injury for today’s FA Cup cruncher with Brighton
MANCHESTER City striker Sergio Aguero will travel with the rest of their squad for their FA Cup semi-final against Brighton and Hove Albion having nearly recovered from a hamstring injury, manager Pep Guardiola said yesterday.
The Argentina international, who is the Premier League’s top scorer with 19 goals, missed City’s 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Cardiff City on Wednesday and was a doubt for today’s semi-final at Wembley.
“Almost everybody is fit,” Guardiola said. “Sergio Aguero is almost fit. He is travelling.”
City are challenging on all fronts this season and could potentially win three more trophies before the campaign ends, having already lifted the League Cup.
The team are top of the league going into this weekend’s games and have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League as well as the FA Cup semis, and Guardiola believes they are poised to build a lasting legacy.
“We are still young in terms of a lot of titles but every season when you are able to win you become a better club, a better organisation, so that’s the target we now have,” the Spaniard added.
“We can’t deny the last decade in terms of English titles and being there in the Champions League, qualifying always, so it’s really good.
“We came from nothing with that, now we have that, we’ll see how far we’re going to get.”
Stand-in left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has a hamstring injury and Guardiola is ready to draft Benjamin Mendy, who has been recovering from a knee injury, into the side for the first time since January 23 as a result.
“Everybody has to help us, not just Mendy,” the manager said.
Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said Premier League title rivals Man City are currently the best team in the world but there is no guarantee Guardiola’s side will finish the season with an unprecedented quadruple.
With the League Cup already in the bag, City are a point clear of Liverpool at the top of the league.
“City definitely look like the best team in the world, that’s how it is,” Klopp said.
“Barcelona struggled a little bit (against Villarreal on Tuesday) but still did the job. Juve look pretty impressive in Italy but you don’t exactly know how it will be in the Champions League if Cristiano Ronaldo cannot do it.
“And you think, OK, City look a bit more stable than all of them. But that doesn’t mean they will win all their games.”
While focus has been on City seeking a clean sweep of silverware, the prospect of Liverpool themselves completing a Premier League and Champions League double seems to have slipped under the radar.
Klopp, however, does not expect his players to take their foot off the gas until the end of the campaign.
“I’m just interested in our games and we cannot do more than win our games,” the German manager added.
“We knew pretty quick Southampton was the next challenge, then Porto, then Chelsea, then Porto again.
“There is a lot to come and the only thing I can say is that we try everything to be really ready for that fight.”
Liverpool were due to visit Southampton in the league last night. |