Up next for Manchester City is the UEFA Super Cup, on Wednesday night against Sevilla. It matches up the previous season’s Champions League and Europa League winners. City will be without star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for, as manager Pep Guardiola put it, “a few weeks.” He had to be subbed off after just 24 minutes, in the season opening win at Burnley, due to a re-aggravation of the same hamstring injury that has been plaguing him for most of this year.
We covered the specifics of the De Bruyne hamstring problem, already over at this link.
UEFA Super Cup FYIs
Manchester City vs Sevilla
Kickoff: 8pm Wed, Aug. 16
Venue: Karaiskakas Stadium, Piraeus, Attica, Greece
Preview Content for Both Sides: Starting XI Predictions Team News
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Team News for Both Sides
Let’s take a look at what really important games De Bruyne might miss, given that timeline of a “few weeks. That would put the Belgian midfield maestro out until at least mid-September, which would then see him miss about four or five league fixtures, including the critical clash on Saturday, the home opener against Newcastle.
If the timeline is longer, say maybe 6-8 weeks, then the midfield maestro could miss the major matchup with Arsenal on October 7. For the moment, Pep Guardiola has np new injury concerns beyond him.
Sevilla is in a similar situation, as they have no problems with injured or absent players.
Thus they are expected to appear with the strongest lineup possible, given their fully fit squad.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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.”
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