Man City without Stones, Walker for Leeds clash
PREMIER League leaders Manchester City will be without injured defenders Kyle Walker and John Stones for today’s trip to Leeds United with the former possibly out for the season, manager Pep Guardiola said.
The Spaniard told reporters yesterday that Stones could miss next week’s Champions League semi-final second leg at Real Madrid after limping off in the 4-3 win at the Etihad.
“For tomorrow he’s out and we’ll see for Wednesday,” Guardiola said.
Joao Cancelo is back from suspension to fill in at right back, however.
City are a point clear of Liverpool at the top of the standings but could be behind by the time they play at Elland Road, with their rivals in the early kick-off at Newcastle United.
Leeds are 16th but five points clear of the drop zone and unbeaten in their last five matches. They lost 7-0 at City in December.
Guardiola congratulated Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on signing a new contract keeping him at Anfield until 2026 but said that would have no bearing on whether he extended his own deal with City.
“Why should it make an impact? Everyone has his situation, if we decide to stay longer it’s because together we decided, not because my colleague Jurgen extends his contract or not. I don’t see the relation,” he said.
“I think it’s really good for the Premier League he extend the contract.”
Guardiola, who joined City in 2016, said he was focused on the next few weeks and had no time for talks about his own future.
“I have the feeling that one year is a long time, so we are six seasons together,” he said.
“You know my opinion. I am incredibly happy, I could not be in a better place in my life to work in right now than here. I cannot visualise a better place. But it’s not just about me, it’s about many things.”
The Spaniard said Leeds would be tough opponents.
“I have a lot of respect,” he said of Jesse Marsch’s side. “We accept the challenge and we know exactly what you have to do and we are going to try and do it.”
Meanwhile, Klopp said he hopes that his decision to extend his contract will guarantee stability for Liverpool.
The 54-year-old German manager, who joined Liverpool from Borussia Dortmund in October 2015, signed a two-year extension on Thursday that will keep him at Anfield until 2026.
“We want to try and make this club successful for as long as possible, if not forever,” Klopp said yesterday, ahead of Liverpool’s league trip to Newcastle United. “That doesn’t mean I will be here forever of course!
“(The extension) is done early … and it’s good for transfer windows. We cannot guarantee success but we can guarantee stability which in difficult times is a big thing to guarantee.”
Klopp added that him signing a contract extension was unlikely to play a key role in convincing Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane also to commit their futures to the club.
Salah and Mane’s contracts expire in June 2023.
Klopp heaped praise on Newcastle counterpart Eddie Howe for lifting the club from the relegation zone to the top half of the table.
“They are in a really good moment,” Klopp said. “Eddie (Howe) has obviously played a massive part in that. They signed one of our analysts (Mark Leyland) as well, which for sure is a big part. Mark, if you see this … we play completely different now!
“This season they’ve brought in good players, they’ve made smart moves. It’s really good to see how much little changes can help.”
Liverpool will be without Roberto Firmin, with Kostas Tsimikas and Curtis Jones doubtful due to illness.
The Merseyside club remain on course to clinch an historic quadruple this season, having won the League Cup in February and reached the FA Cup final and Champions League semi-final, while they trail league leaders Manchester City by a single point.