Man City duo to miss Chelsea game

Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne have been ruled out of Manchester City’s trip to face Chelsea on Saturday.

Aguero, City’s record scorer, has not featured in the champions’ last two games due to what was initially described as a minor muscle problem and he will again not be risked.

Ex-Chelsea man De Bruyne, who scored the winner against his former club at Stamford Bridge last season, has missed most of the campaign so far with knee problems.

When the Belgian suffered his latest setback early in November it was thought he could have an outside chance of returning to face the Blues, but that has proved too optimistic.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, manager Pep Guardiola said: “Both cannot play tomorrow. Both will be back soon.”

Chelsea have slipped to fourth in the table, 10 points behind leaders City, after losing two of their last three games but Guardiola sees it as a tough time to be playing them.

He said: “Always Stamford Bridge is difficult. I’ve travelled there many times as a manager and won once – last season. Most of the time I lose there.

“They are a good side, a really good team. You see the level of people on the bench – they don’t play regularly but they are excellent players. They are a real contender, an excellent team.

“How are they going to react after losing two games? I can imagine how intense, how aggressive and how committed they will be. That’s why it’s a good test for us, I will welcome that.”