Missing Players and team news:
City defender John Stones serves the third and final game of his three-match suspension after seeing red against Aston Villa, while his fellow centre-back Eric Garcia has come down with a bout of illness, meaning the Spaniard may have played his last game for the club with Barcelona knocking. However, Guardiola has no fresh concerns for the visit of Chelsea, and Aymeric Laporte should once again deputise in defence alongside Dias, who put in one of the displays of the season against PSG. Oleksandr Zinchenko – who was in tears at the full-time whistle in midweek – could be a victim of Pep rotation as Benjamin Mendy hopes to earn a recall, while Joao Cancelo could return for Kyle Walker on the opposite side. Fernandinho impressed on his 36th birthday against PSG but is expected to make way for Rodri here, while Raheem Sterling will be desperate to earn a recall to the attack. Guardiola’s decision to line up without a recognised number nine once again worked wonders in the Champions League, but with his prolific record against Chelsea, soon-to-be free agent Aguero will hope to lead the attack. Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic was unable to turn out against his old employers Real Madrid after suffering a setback in his recovery from a thigh problem, and the Croatian midfielder is not expected to be ready in time for this game. As a result, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante should continue to man the engine room, as Mount features further forward alongside Pulisic, who was surprisingly named on the bench on Wednesday but should return here. Cesar Azpilicueta put in a tireless shift on the right-hand side and should be given a rest as Reece James returns to the fold, while Marcos Alonso is a candidate to feature on the other side if Ben Chilwell earns a day off. Tuchel must be careful not to overwork Thiago Silva and his 36-year-old legs, so Kurt Zouma is a candidate to feature in the visitors’ back three alongside Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
