Manchester United get double injury boost ahead of City clash

Harry Maguire 

Harry Maguire is expected to miss Manchester United's derby clash with Man City this weekend, with no players set to return from injury for the match. However, two players who were a doubt in midweek should be fit.

The 30-year-old missed United's midweek victory over Nottingham Forest, four days after he had netted in their Premier League defeat to Fulham at Old Trafford. Maguire previously suffered a groin injury in December and consequently missed six games as a result of his injury.

Bruno Fernandes and Raphael Varane, who have both had niggles, are both expected to be available after they fought to be part of the midweek win over Nottingham Forest. Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon, manager Erik ten Hag issued the injury news for the clash.

Guardiola won’t sacrifice style despite Barca blunders

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola was defiant he will not change his ways despite a harrowing night for goalkeeper Claudio Bravo on his return to Barcelona as a Lionel Messi hat-trick inspired a 4-0 Barca win on Wednesday.

Bravo was sent-off with City trailing just 1-0 for saving Luis Suarez’s effort when outside his area after gifting the ball to the Uruguayan striker, putting Guardiola’s decision to jettison England number one Joe Hart under more scrutiny.

“Until the last day I am a coach I will try to play from the goalkeeper,” said Guardiola.

“Of course you cannot play all the time, but it was a mistake and it sometimes happens.”

Bravo enjoyed two almost faultless years at Barca before joining City in August, but has endured a shaky start under Guardiola’s firm instructions to build City’s attack from the back.

“He (Bravo) has a lot of experience, he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world for the last 10 years, but he will learn and is the first one in the dressing room to apologise.”

Bravo’s gaffe was just one of many City defensive howlers on the night as Messi took advantage of Fernandinho’s slip to give Barca an early lead.

Messi curled home a second before Ilkay Gundogan’s misplaced pass played in Suarez, who squared for Messi to complete his hat-trick.

The scoreline could have been even more embarrassing for City had substitute goalkeeper Willy Caballero not saved a penalty from Neymar before the Brazilian made amends with a brilliant fourth.

“It is always difficult to play in Barcelona with 11 players and with 10 the game was over,” added Guardiola.

“We created enough chances, we arrive at the byline many times, but with their strikers when they arrive they punish you.”

Guardiola won his first 10 games in charge, but City have now failed to win any of their last four matches and the Catalan lamented the series of error-strewn performances affecting his side.

A 3-3 draw at Celtic was followed by a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur before City missed two penalties in a 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday.

“Starting in Glasgow, own goals in White Hart Lane (against Tottenham), missing penalties, we give a lot for the opponents,” he added.

Guardiola, who won 14 trophies in four years in charge of Barca, has now lost on both occasions he has returned to the Camp Nou after losing 3-0 in 2015 when with Bayern Munich.

However, Guardiola’s former teammate and Barca boss Luis Enrique agreed Bravo’s dismissal changed the game.

“The sending-off was decisive and conditioned the game a lot,” said Enrique.

“Teams that try to play from the back know those errors can happen and you have to accept it. In the long-run it is more beneficial.”

Messi has now scored two hat-tricks in as many games in this season’s Champions League as the Argentine showed no signs of rust on his first start for a month after a groin injury.

“We have seen the calm that Messi has to finish inside the area as if he was in the school yard,” added Enrique.

“If there is anything you can expect of Messi it is that. It doesn’t matter how many days he has been out or the games he has missed.”

AFP

Man City target Bonucci set for new Juventus contract

Juventus are preparing a new contract for Leonardo Bonucci in order to keep him away from Manchester City 's grasp.

The 29-year-old defender was a target for City in the summer and they have continued to monitor his situation.

There have been reports in recent weeks suggesting they could make an approach for Bonucci in January – and Juventus are now set to act in order to keep him tied to the club.

Chelsea are also understood to be interested in the £50 million-rated defender.

Juventus officials are now in the process of drawing up contract extensions for Bonucci, who only signed a new agreement last summer, and striker Paulo Dybala, who scored another two goals in Saturday's 2-1 win over Udinese.

“The renewals of Dybala and Bonucci – they are two players that have long contracts,” the club's CEO Giuseppe Marotta told Premium Sport .

“[But] we are talking with them to see them [extend] again, because it is the players’ performance in the team, and because it is right to also adapt them according to the balance within the squad and their place in it.”

Sergio Agüero to miss Manchester derby after receiving three-match ban

Sergio Agüero has been found guilty of violent conduct and will miss the derby with Manchester United on 10 September, the first match of a three-game ban.

Manchester City had appealed against the charge and argued that if the striker was found guilty he should receive less than a three-game ban because, they said, cases involving a greater degree of violence had met with that punishment.

Yet the Football Association’s three-person independent commission decided the forward was guilty and merited the standard suspension. He will miss the derby at Old Trafford, plus the visit of Bournemouth on 17 September and the EFL Cup trip to Swansea City four days later.

The charge relates to City’s 3-1 victory over West Ham United on Sunday when Agüero appeared to elbow Winston Reid. An FA statement read: “The Manchester City forward was involved in a 76th-minute incident with West Ham United’s Winston Reid on Sunday, which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.

“The club denied the charge and submitted further that, if it was to be found proven, the standard punishment would be clearly excessive. On finding the charge proven at a hearing today, an independent regulatory commission went on to reject the club’s further claim to decrease the three-match ban.”

The loss of Agüero is a considerable blow to City and Pep Guardiola. The manager has guided the team to an impressive start in which they have won their first five matches. Agüero, who has featured four times, has scored six goals, three in the Premier League to help City to the top of the table. The Argentinian has also registered eight times in derbies, the club’s third-highest tally.

Yaya Touré has been left out of City’s Champions League squad by Guardiola. Touré has played once this season, in City’s 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League play-off round second leg, but that game was virtually meaningless because City led 5-0 from the first leg.

Leroy Sané and Ilkay Gündogan, who were bought this summer but have yet to play because of injury, are included in the 25-man squad for the group stage. City will face Barcelona, Celtic and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Touré’s exclusion is a further signal his City career is effectively over, just as Joe Hart’s loan move to Torino after being dropped by Guardiola seems to have ended the goalkeeper’s time at the club. Touré’s contract expires next summer.

City may face a United defence which is below full-strength at Old Trafford because Antonio Valencia’s late return from the international break could force José Mourinho into using Phil Jones, Matteo Darmian or Timothy Fosu-Mensah at right-back despite none having played this season.

Valencia is away with Ecuador but does not return until next Friday, the day before City’s visit. The match will kick-off at 12.30pm, further shortening the time Valencia has to recover. Argentina’s Marcos Rojo and Sergio Romero are also expected to be late back.

Manchester City's Samir Nasri joins Sevilla on season-long loan

Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has completed a season-long loan move to La Liga side Sevilla.

Nasri, 29, was linked with a move to Turkish side Besiktas but opted for Sevilla and the chance to play Champions League football.

Nasri missed all of City's preseason after returning to training overweight and did not feature in City's first four games of this campaign.

He was ruled out for six months after having surgery on a groin tendon injury, which meant he was dropped out of Manuel Pellegrini's Champions League squad on their run to the semifinals.

The former Marseille player joined City for £25 million from Arsenal in August 2011 and won two Premier League titles as well as collecting two League Cup and one FA Cup winners' medal.

Iheanacho topples Mikel as Eagles highest earner

 

Mikel and Iheanacho

MANCHESTER City starlet Kelechi Iheanacho is now the top Nigeria earner in the Premier League on £85,000-a-week to knock off Chelsea star Mikel Obi. 

This month, Iheanacho signed a new two-year contract extension at City till 2021, saying his new contract will “change the lives of his family”. Mikel, who moved to England 10 years ago, has been the biggest earner from Nigeria for many years and he is now on 70,000 pounds a week at Stamford Bridge. The midfielder’s compatriot at ‘The Blues’, Victor Moses bagged a 50,000 pounds-a-week when he joined Chelsea from Wigan Athletic in 2012. Watford striker Odion Ighalo is believed to have improved on his 25,000 pounds-a-week after he recently signed a contract extension. Defender Kenneth Omeruo is on 15,000 pounds every week even though he has yet to play an official match for Chelsea. It was further gathered that Iheanacho’s new handlers negotiated this bumper deal even though they are still locked in an ownership tussle with the player’s previous representatives, who are based in the United States of America. Iheanacho’s former agents had proposed a new contract of 50,000 pounds-a-week for the 19-year-old forward. He earned less than 18,000 pounds-a-week when he first joined Manchester City.

Sergio Aguero: Argentina and Man City striker out of qualifiers

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has been ruled out of Argentina's World Cup 2018 qualifiers with a calf injury.

The Argentina Football Association confirmed the 28-year-old picked up the injury during City's 3-1 Premier League win over West Ham on Sunday.

No timescale has been given for his return, with Aguero potentially facing FA charges for elbowing Hammers defender Winston Reid.

Argentina play Uruguay on Friday, before facing Venezuela on 7 September.

Lionel Messi has also been training with Argentina after reversing his retirement decision, which was made at the start of August.

Argentina are currently third in the qualifying table after winning three of their six games.

Pep Guardiola will make an emotional Champions League return to Barcelona with Man City

It is the third time in four seasons City have faced the Caltalan Club in Europe and means an emotional return to the Nou Camp for Guardiola who led Barca to 14 trophies in his four years in charge, including two Champions League wins In 2009 and 2011.

Under previous boss Manuel Pellegrini, City were drawn with Barca in the last 16 in both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. They lost all four games and had a player sent off in three of the clashes.

But Guardiola will draw on his inside knowledge of the Spanish giants when he seeks revenge for Bayern Munich’s semi-final defeat by Barcelona in 2015.

The draw also means an immediate return to Barca for City’s new goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who yesterday completed his £13.75million move to the Etihad as a replacement for the unwanted Joe Hart.
City’s other Group C opponents will be Borussia Monchengladbach, who they beat twice in the group stage last season, and Scottish champions Celtic.
Sporting director Txiki Begiristain, a former Barcelona player and director, said: “For Bravo, Pep, me and Ferran [Soriano, City’s chief executive] it’s back home again – three times in four seasons! At least we know the way!

“It’s a tough draw but it’s better to face Barcelona in the group stage than in the round of 16 like before. We were in the semi-finals last season and we want to get there again.”
In contrast to City, the three other English clubs – Leicester, Arsenal and Tottenham – were relatively happy with their draws.
The Foxes are in with Porto, Bruges and Copenhagen; the Gunners face Paris Saint-Germain, Basle and Ludogorets while Spurs are up against CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco.

Bravo signs for Manchester City

Barcelona goalkeeper moves to Etihad Stadium on a four-year deal 

 

Manchester City have announced the signing of Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

The 33-year-old has agreed a four-year deal to move to the Etihad Stadium as Pep Guardiola's ninth recruit of the transfer window.

Having bolstered their midfield and attacking options with the acquisitions of Ilkay Gundogan, Nolito, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Aaron Mooy, Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus and Marlos Moreno, Bravo joins John Stones as part of Man City's rearguard for 2016/17.

“I’m very proud to be joining Manchester City," he said in an interview with mancity.com. "I know the Club is building something very special and I hope I can be part of many successes in the coming years."

Chile's most-capped international with 106 appearances to his name, ahead of Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez (101), Bravo moves to the Premier League after two seasons with Guardiola's former club Barcelona.

During his time at Barcelona he won back-to-back La Liga and Copa del Rey titles, as well as winning the UEFA Champions League.

This summer he starred as his country retained the Copa America, saving a penalty in a shootout victory over Argentina in the final.

He will be hoping to feature for the first time in a City shirt on Sunday when West Ham United visit the Etihad Stadium.

Hughes calls for repeat of power play

 

Stoke City manager hopes to emulate 2-0 victory over Man City last season 

Mark Hughes wants to use Stoke City’s memorable victory over Manchester City last season as fuel to inflict Pep Guardiola’s first Premier League defeat on Saturday.
City travel to the bet365 Stadium having squeezed past Sunderland on the opening weekend, while Stoke required a Xherdan Shaqiri free-kick for a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough.
Shaqiri played a pivotal role in Stoke’s 2-0 victory in this fixture last season, assisting both of Marko Arnautovic’s goals as the hosts stormed into a two-goal lead inside 15 minutes.
Although the Swiss winger is a doubt with a calf injury, Hughes has called on his side to “overpower and outplay” City for the second successive season.

 “We had some really great performances last year, but that one really figures quite high in a lot of people’s lists,” Hughes told stokecityfc.com.
“On the day we were significantly better than them, overpowered them physically and asked questions of them in key areas of the field.
“We need to do more of the same. They have new players and a new manager with new ideas which makes it a little bit more difficult to prepare for but we’ll give it our best shot and we are encouraged by last week."
Guardiola was reminded of the cliches of the difficulties of playing at Stoke at his press conference, but was undaunted.
“We are going to try to fight for the title so we are going to try to adapt," he told mancity.com. "We’re not going to complain that the pitch isn’t good. It’s 11 v 11 on the pitch. It’s my first time in my life at Stoke City and let’s go!"

Joe Hart: Man City goalkeeper can leave - Pep Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said goalkeeper Joe Hart can leave the Premier League club if he asks to.

England international Hart, 29, is considering a move after being dropped, with Everton and Sevilla interested.

"I don't want players to stay if they don't want," Guardiola said. "If they want to stay, stay and we will fight together."

The loan move Hart favours, with less than two weeks of the transfer window left, is still the most likely outcome.

That would allow him to assess his options over the course of the season.

Barcelona's Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen have been linked with moves to Etihad Stadium, while Guardiola selected Argentine goalkeeper Willy Caballero against Sunderland and in City's 5-0 Champions League qualifier victory over Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday.

It is understood Guardiola and Hart, who knows he has no future at the club, have not built up any kind of relationship. The Spaniard does not believe Hart has the time to become the kind of 'sweeper-keeper' he wants to play with.

Guardiola added: "If he stays he will improve. He understands what we want from our goalkeeper.

"I spoke with Joe from the first moment we met in China. I try to be clear with my players and I was clear with him. I have a lot of respect for him.

"Maybe Joe will stay here and be a player who will fight with the other goalkeepers to convince me to play him. That is the way it is - nothing has changed."

Guardiola said he knew Hart's "value" and "talent", but that he had come to City to "play the way I like".

"The first thing I am looking for from the goalkeeper is to save," said the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach.

"After that he has to be able to play with the ball. He has to be help us to create a good build-up. That is why I am here."

The 45-year-old added: "We are not an academy with time. Here we have time - but not too much.

"The big teams don't give me time to create something. People want results immediately."

Hart has made nearly 350 appearances for City in all competitions since joining them from Shrewsbury in 2006.

He was England's most senior player at Euro 2016 behind captain Wayne Rooney with 63 caps, but he had a disappointing campaign with mistakes against Wales and Iceland as Roy Hodgson's side suffered a shock last-16 defeat by minnows Iceland.

Midfielder Yaya Toure is yet to feature in any of Guardiola's match-day squads this season, despite appearing to be injury-free.

Guardiola insists the 33-year-old Ivory Coast international will get a chance when he has proved he is match fit - that is if Toure "wants to stay" at the club.

"Yaya is trying. He loves to play," added Guardiola.

"I have spoken to him about the situation. He is a player with huge quality.

"I have a lot of respect for him. I know when he increases his intensity without the ball he will be part of the group - if he wants to stay."

Iheanacho signs two-year contract extension with City

Nigeria international, Kelechi Iheanacho, has signed a new two-year contract extension with City.

The 19-year-old, who scored 14 times in all competitions last season, will now stay with the Club until at least 2021.

Iheanacho said: “I can’t express how I’m feeling! I’m very happy to sign my new deal for this Club, I’m excited.

“I just need to keep working hard and express my feelings on the pitch, and work really well and do great things for the team. I’m happy and I appreciate everything the Club has done for me so far at this point so I really need to help and work for them as well.”

Manager Pep Guardiola added: “Kelechi is a natural goal-scorer. I knew about him before, but I’ve been really impressed with him since I arrived.

“I like his personality, his attitude, his ability – we hope to help him reach the highest level and to realise his full potential.”

Champions League play-off ; Iheanaco in – Toure out

Kelechi Iheanacho has been included in Manchester City team for their Champions League play-off with Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday (today).

However, Yaya Toure, was a surprise exclusion for the game.

The 19 years old striker came off the bench in the last ten minutes of City’s 2-1 win over Sunderland, and will be hoping he is given another opportunity by coach Pep Guardiola in the fixture.

Last season, the former Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles star appeared four times in the knockout rounds of the Champions league, logging 71 minutes.

Man City sign Moreno

Teenage Colombian forward Marlos Moreno has joined Manchester City on a five-year contract, the Premier League side announced on Saturday.
The 19-year-old arrives from his formative club Atletico Nacional and will spend the 2016-17 season on loan at Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna.
He is reported to have cost City 4.75 million pounds ($6.2 million, 5.6 million euros).
“City are one of the best clubs in the world. It will be nice to experience being part of such a big club. I want to make the most of it,” Moreno told the City website.
“Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world. I think he likes young players very much and he can improve young players tactically and technically.
“It will be great to work with him and to be part of a great team.”
Moreno has been capped seven times by Colombia and helped Atletico Nacional win this year’s Copa Libertadores.
He is new City manager Guardiola’s seventh close-season signing, following Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan, Nolito, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus and Aaron Mooy.
“Marlos is an excellent prospect who has already broken into his national team,” said City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain.
“He’s a versatile player, still learning, but we believe he has a fantastic future in the game and with City.
“He makes and scores goals and is an intelligent footballer. We’re delighted to have signed him.”
AFP