Midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne did not feature for Manchester City last night in their 1-0 win over Brentford. Once again, his hamstring problems have flared up. Although it is not thought to be serious, according to manager Pep Guardiola. His absence was more for precautionary reasons than anything else. However, with a late round cup clash coming up early next week, he just may sit out again this weekend.
We did not use Kevin today because he has niggles in his hamstring position,” Pep said last night.
AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City FYIs
Kick off: 3pm, Saturday Feb. 24, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, UK
Man City Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
PL Position: Man City 2nd, 56 pts Bournemouth 13th, 28 pts
Form Guide: Man City WDWWW Bournemouth DLDDL
Result Probability: Man City 67% Bournemouth 17% Draw 19%
Man City Team News
“He’s okay. It’s more caution and prevention than anything. He didn’t feel comfortable and the doctors said there was a little bit of risk. After five months off, we did not take any risk with that.”
While his absence Saturday at AFC Bournemouth isn’t confirmed as of yet, we do know that both Jack Grealish and Josko Gvardiol will miss out. The duo are looking at returns in either early or mid-March.
In regards to Grealish, he has muscular issues, but as we covered yesterday, his situation is not that serious. As for “Little Pep,” he’s battling ankle ligament problems.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.