Guardiola dwells on depleted Man City squad ahead of Man Utd clash

A number of members of the Sky Blues squad have been forced to keep away from the pitch after positive coronavirus tests.

Manchester City “doesn’t have many players” for the Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester United, Pep Guardiola said on Wednesday.

With several players and staff tested positive for COVID-19, last week’s Premier League meeting between Man City and Everton was called off.

Kyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus, and Eric Garcia, along with three more unnamed players, were those who took to self-isolation after contracting the widespread virus.

The Sky Blues were allowed to play against Chelsea – a match they won convincingly with a 3-1 result – as no new cases emerged.

A fresh, and perhaps bigger, test awaits City as they prepare to take on fierce rivals Manchester United, and Guardiola admits that a depleted squad is a cause of concern for him amid a busy schedule.

“We don’t have many players,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. “To play one, two games is okay but if sustained for a long time – and you can use just 14 or 15 players – it will be more difficult.

“But like everyone in the world, we have to adjust in our lives and our profession as much as possible. We don’t have an alternative.

“The important thing is the guys who have Covid recover well and the others try to avoid it as much as possible.”