Pep Guardiola's Manchester City will be sans talismanic midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and goalkeeper Ederson when they lineup for the FA Cup quarter-final game against Newcastle United. Both players need time to regain fitness after suffering injuries, the manager said on Friday.
Ederson was forced to come off during their 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool at Anfield. Following a challenge on Darwin Nunez, the Brazilian conceded a penalty that helped the Reds restore parity. Meanwhile, De Bruyne has a groin strain which resulted in him being left out of Belgium's squad for friendlies with Ireland and England this month.
"Kevin's not ready. He already played in Anfield with some problems. But he's getting better. He's not ready for tomorrow. We spoke with Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco and he decided," Guardiola told reporters ahead of Saturday's game.
"I'm grateful because he didn't feel good and he could recover for the rest of the season. He played well (against Liverpool). All the players have problems, but the day after he doesn't feel good, it's better to take care.
"Eddie (Ederson) is getting better, hopefully he'll be ready after the international break. Tomorrow, for sure (he will not play). He'll have two weeks off then, he'll recover, we'll see how he feels."
Guardiola also confirmed Jack Grealish has returned from a groin injury and will be a part of the squad. Grealish has not played since their 6-2 win over Luton Town in the FA Cup fifth round. City are facing Newcastle for the fourth time this season, having beaten them twice in the league, but Eddie Howe's side knocked them out of the League Cup in September.
"This season and previous ones, since Eddie Howe was there and the people from Saudi Arabia took over (the club), it's always been tight games. We don't expect anything different," Guardiola said.
"We have an incredible chance at home with our people. We need the support of our fans in home games like we had against Manchester United (in a 3-1 comeback win), I don't remember that environment for a long time."Tomorrow isn't an exception. We need it to reach the semi-final at Wembley again."