Pep Guardiola hands Manchester City fitness update ahead of Crystal Palace clash | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has provided an update on the fitness of () ahead of a visit from Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

City have seven games left in pursuit of a top five finish in the Premier League to end a disappointing league campaign on a high and seal their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Guardiola’s men played out a drab goalless draw with local rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford last week, which has left them in sixth place in the league table amidst a jam-packed race for European football.

The Blues continue to miss star striker Erling Haaland after the Norwegian sustained an ankle injury in City’s 2-1 victory away at Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-final in March, with Omar Marmoush expected to fill the significant void left by the 24-year-old’s absence.

Marmoush has scored six times in all competitions since his £59 million mid-season switch to the Etihad Stadium from Eintracht Frankfurt, including a hat-trick against Newcastle United in the Premier League and the all-important winner in the FA Cup quarter-final.

City have missed centre-half trio Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and John Stones to injury in the last month, with Guardiola revealing prior to the Manchester derby that Akanji is nearing a return to action.

Speaking in a press conference on Friday afternoon, the Manchester City manager confirmed the defensive trio remain out of contention and will not be available to play against Oliver Glasner’s side on Saturday.

“It’s happened all season. We adapt. And you can see that the position you’re in is a disaster, and it could be worse,” Guardiola said after what has been one of his worst managerial campaigns in terms of injuries sustained to players.

City lost Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to a season-ending ACL injury in a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in September and with the Spaniard back training to some extent on the pitch, Oscar Bobb made his long-awaited return to action last week against Leicester City after recovering from a leg break sustained in August.

Guardiola added: “I’m really satisfied for the way we handled it, for the situations we have been, being who are are; having the chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. This is what we have to do, especially in our home games, away as well, but especially at home.”

There is little margin for error for Manchester City in their Premier League run-in and with the race for the Champions League places as tightly contested as this season, no further slip-ups will be allowed in the camp as the Blues look to end an underwhelming campaign on a strong note.