Early team news: John Stones among returning injured names for Manchester City vs Tottenham (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City welcome Tottenham to a windy and rainy Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening as both sides return to Premier League action after the international break.

For Pep Guardiola and his players, the objective is clear: To end the losing streak that has spanned across the last four matches. The challenge of Ange Postecoglou’s North London side will be immense, and as such the hosts’ Premier League title qualities will be put to the test.

It was a defeat at the hands of Tottenham last month that sparked the losing run, falling to a 2-1 loss in the Carabao Cup fourth round, before enduring the same scoreline against Bournemouth in the Premier League.

UEFA Champions League action would not bring any better result for City, as Sporting came from behind to win 4-1 in Lisbon, whilst a similar pattern of play would be followed on the south coast with Brighton & Hove Albion turning things around to win 2-1 at the Amex.

As for Tottenham, they come into the weekend’s contest outside of the top-10 in the Premier League, with defensive problems resulting in five wins, one draw, and five defeats across their opening 11 matches.

Manchester City’s injury picture remains somewhat concerning despite additional rest and recovery for their first-team stars over the last fortnight, with Nathan Ake on the verge of returning from a hamstring problem, as well as Ruben Dias closing in on first-team training.

Oscar Bobb and Rodri remain sidelined through their longer-term injuries, as Mateo Kovacic became the latest name to succumb to a problem during the international break that could leave him out for up to a month.

All other names that were previously ruled out of action prior to the international break, including the likes of Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji, are now in with a chance of featuring against Tottenham.

And ahead of the confirmed team news from the Etihad Stadium this weekend, some initial information has began to filter throughout social media from journalists and sources regarding Manchester City’s starting line-up.

According to the information of the Manchester Evening News’ Simon Bajkowski, Jack Grealish and John Stones are both back in Manchester City’s matchday squad against Tottenham this weekend.

However, among those absent are Jeremy Doku and Ruben Dias, who join the longer-term absentees in Rodri and Oscar Bobb on the sidelines this weekend, with Pep Guardiola likely to provide further updates in the short-term.

Pep Guardiola and Ange Postecoglou are expected to confirmed their respective Manchester City and Tottenham starting line-ups around 16:15 (UK) on Saturday afternoon.

Now confirmed.