Why Matheus Nunes is not involved for Man City vs Aston Villa as De Bruyne and Walker calls made
Ederson and Matheus Nunes are the latest Manchester City players to miss out due to injury, as Pep Guardiola's crisis continues at Aston Villa.
City were already without Ruben Dias, who will miss around a month of action due to a muscular issue, confirmed by Guardiola on Friday. And the manager had suggested Ederson wouldn't make the trip to Villa Park, calling him a doubt on the eve of the Premier League fixture.
Ederson was not in the squad at Villa Park, giving Stefan Ortega another start, while there was also no room for midfielder Matheus Nunes. He had deputised at left-back in last week's defeat to Manchester United, giving away the first goal in shambolic circumstances before allowing Amad to get behind the defence and condemn the Blues to an embarrassing defeat.
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And he was not in the squad that travelled to the West Midlands, with City confirming both he and Ederson were injured. The blows add to Guardiola's paper-thin options, although John Stones and Manu Akanji started against Villa on their first returns from their respective injuries.
Mateo Kovacic also made his return to the team after coming off the bench vs United, while Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker were dropped to the bench. Jack Grealish started at his former home for the first time in City colours. Rodri and Oscar Bobb remain out, with Bobb saying this week that he remains on track to return in January or February.