18 players could miss Man City vs Tottenham as injury crisis mounts

As many as 18 players could miss Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to Manchester City on Saturday evening with both clubs contending with injury doubts ahead of the clash.

The pressure is on Man City to halt their four-game losing streak, which began with the 2-1 League Cup defeat to Spurs in October. Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou will be keen to avoid a third straight defeat, having succumbed to Galatasaray and Ipswich Town before the international break.

He will be without his two primary centre-backs for the trip to the Etihad Stadium, with Cristian Romero ruled out of the encounter after withdrawing from the Argentina squad early.

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Micky Van de Ven is not expected back from his hamstring issue, picked up against Man City in the League Cup, until mid-December. There is ambiguity over the fitness of Timo Werner, who missed the defeat to Ipswich with a knock.

Rodrigo Bentancur will definitely miss the contest, with the Uruguayan still barred from action as Spurs appeal the length of the seven-match ban imposed for using a racial slur against Son Heung-min.

Mikey Moore’s availability will only be known a few hours before kick-off after the 17-year-old was left laid up by a virus before the break. Richarlison is not due back until early 2025 while Wilson Odobert is due to be out for longer after undergoing hamstring surgery.

As for Man City, the picture is slightly more hazy. Mateo Kovacic is certainly unavailable having picked up an injury while on Croatia duty, as is Ruben Dias following his muscle setback.

Rodri is out for the season while Oscar Bobb is not due back from his fractured leg until December - but Pep Guardiola’s seven other concerns are all doubts, with it unclear whether they will feature on Saturday.

John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake all returned to training this week but Guardiola cast doubt over their match readiness and whether any could last a full 90 minutes. It seems like at least some of the trio will make the squad, albeit this is not confirmed.

Jack Grealish and Phil Foden withdrew from England duty due to injuries, with it uncertain how far along they are in their respective recoveries.

Matheus Nunes also missed international football with Portugal, with this thought to be due to fitness issues. It is touch-and-go whether Jeremy Doku is involved after picking up a fresh issue just before the break.