Manchester City climbed to second place in the league table after winning four of their last five Premier League matches and drawing with league leaders Arsenal.
Now, Pep Guardiola has focused his attention on the next crucial Champions League match - against Villarreal in Spain.
The Citizens are moving into the top eight with one win and one draw in the continent's most prestigious competition. However, injuries inside the club became Guardiola's headache.
Rodri's condition worsened
Spanish midfielder Rodri was injured in the match against Brentford and left the field early. Although he himself stated that "there is no serious danger," the club's doctors assess the situation as serious.
"I felt a slight pain in my knee, but I don't think it was a serious injury. Most importantly, it's not dangerous," Rodri told Sky Sports.
Nevertheless, Guardiola is in favor of slowly restoring it. Because last season Rodri was sidelined for a long time.
The estimated return date is November.
Ait-Nuri on the verge of returning to the field
Algerian defender Ryan Ait-Nuri has been treating his injury for several weeks. According to Guardiola, he has joined training but is not yet ready for the game.
A player who hasn't participated in the match against Everton might also miss the match against Villarreal. His return is expected on October 26th in a match against Aston Villa.
The state of Abdukodir Khusanov
Uzbekistan national team defender Abdukodir Khusanov has not been on the field since September. He suffered an injury in the match against Arsenal, after which he was unable to join the team.
Initially, he was expected to recover quickly, but the results are slower than the doctors expected. Khusanov also missed the FIFA friendly matches against Kuwait and Uruguay.
The Uzbek legionnaire was also not seen in the last training footage shared by Sky Sports. This increased the likelihood that he would also miss the match against Villarreal in Europe.
A difficult month awaits Guardiola ahead
"Manchester City" is fighting on four fronts simultaneously - the Premier League, the Champions League, the League Cup, and the FA Cup. In such conditions, each player is very important.
Due to the increasing number of injuries, Guardiola is developing a plan to maximize the use of each player in the squad.
On the night of October 21st to 22nd (00:00 Tashkent time), City will play away against Villarreal in Spain. This match will become a test for Guardiola's team not only for points but also to maintain team spirit.
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