Pep Guardiola says Man City squad are ‘in big trouble’ as Liverpool rest key men ahead of FA Cup semi-final

Pep Guardiola has said his thin Manchester City squad are in ‘big trouble’ ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final clash with Liverpool.

The Catalan has been working with a relatively small group of first-team players over the course of the campaign, and that number could be reduced further after two members were forced off with injuries during their Champions League fixture against Atletico Madrid.

City drew 0-0 in Wednesday’s quarter-final second leg at the Wanda Metropolitano, and progressed to the semi-finals courtesy of a 1-0 aggregate win. However, it may have come at a significant cost, with Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne replaced through injury.

The latter came off in the 65th minute and was seen icing his leg on the sideline. Meanwhile, Walker picked up what appeared to be a knee injury in the latter stages of the game and, after trying to play on, was withdrawn and appeared to be in real pain.

Speaking after the game, Guardiola admitted their potential omissions for this weekend’s trip to Wembley could cause him a real problem.

“We are in big trouble,” the City boss told BT Sport. “So we can’t forget we played three days ago, travelled, come here, have a lot of injuries now and I don’t know what will happen in the next weeks.”

City’s injury woes

Walker and De Bruyne aren’t the only City players who may have picked up a slight problem in Madrid, with John Stones telling BT Sport that Phil Foden was ‘feeling it after the game’, following some rough treatment from the Atletico defence.

The 21-year sported a bandage throughout the majority of the match, after Felipe clattered into him early on, while the defender received a second yellow card for kicking out at Foden in injury-time.

It means Guardiola could be forced into changes for this weekend’s game, with Ruben Dias unlikely to be fit in time to start, and Cole Palmer continuing to recuperate from injury.

Guardiola has also shown a recent reluctance to play Jack Grealish in high-profile games, starting him on the bench in the last three, while Olkesandr Zinchenko hasn’t started an important game since December, and Fernandinho has been rarely used this season.

There’s also the concern of burnout for City, with Guardiola saying in his post-match press conference that his side felt jaded in the second half against Atletico, following Sunday’s Premier League encounter with Liverpool.

Klopp rotates as Reds progress

It’s very much the opposite for Jurgen Klopp and his men on Merseyside. Like City, Liverpool progressed to the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday as they beat Benfica over two legs.

But the Reds managed to secure their place in a much more comfortable manner, and even had the luxury of resting several key players.

Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson didn’t get a run out at Anfield, while Fabinho, Thiago, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah came on in the second half, allowing Jordan Henderson, Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota all to be replaced.

It means Liverpool, in theory, should be much fresher when the sides meet in Saturday’s semi-final, although Guardiola will be hoping Walker, De Bruyne and Foden recover quickly, and that three days’ rest could help his players recharge their batteries.

The FA Cup clash kicks off at 3:30pm, with the winner set to play either Chelsea or Crystal Palace in the final.