Man City dealt new injury blow as Aguero “needs miracle” to be fit for Manchester Derby

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed the club is likely to be without Sergio Aguero for the upcoming Manchester Derby.

The Argentine had to be replaced late on during Man City’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday which saw the defending Premier League champions move up to third in the table.

It keeps them nine points behind league leaders Liverpool who had beaten Crystal Palace earlier in the day to pile pressure on Guardiola’s men.

Sergio Aguero’s injury: Five things to know…

• Aguero was taken off in the 77th minute of Man City’s 2-1 win over Chelsea.
• The 31-year-old limped his way off the pitch, struggling with a thigh injury.
• Man City manager Guardiola has confirmed Aguero will be out for “a few games”.
• Guardiola went on to clarify Aguero is expected to miss the Manchester Derby on December 7.
• Aguero joins Aymeric Laporte, Leroy Sane and Oleksandr Zinchenko on the sidelines.

Liverpool held a similar lead after the Christmas period last season, and Man City will be looking to overcome that gap as the campaign progresses in their quest to become just the third team to win three consecutive Premier League titles.

Like their rivals, Man City have a busy fixture period up ahead as we move into December. Including their Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, Man City face 10 games before 2019 is over plus another on New Year’s Day.

However, they will have to face some of them without all-time record scorer Aguero, with Guardiola confirming his absence for the coming weeks.

“He will be out for a few games,” Guardiola told reporters. “I don’t know exactly, [but] for a few weeks he will be out.”

And when asked whether Aguero would miss the Manchester Derby on December 7, Guardiola added: “Maybe we will have a miracle but I don’t think so.”

Aguero has once again been key for Man City this season, scoring 13 goals in 16 games across all competitions this season – including nine in the Premier League. Only Raheem Sterling has scored more by netting a total of 14, with five of those coming in the Champions League.

Should Aguero be out injured beyond the Manchester Derby, the 31-year-old would miss at least four games for Man City, starting with Tuesday’s Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk.

He is then set to miss out against Newcastle United and Burnley, which is good news for fans of the former, given Aguero’s goalscoring record.

Man City will be hoping Aguero can come back soon after the derby, however, with Premier League games against Arsenal, Leicester City, Wolves and Sheffield United before the year is out.

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Guardiola advises Man City players to take minds off injury problems

Aguero’s injury sees the striker join several other players on the treatment table and comes ahead of a tricky run of fixtures. However, Guardiola insists his team must retain their focus, despite having to cope without a lengthy list of absentees.

He added: “It’s the toughest period happening now.

“It’s a lot of games but it’s what it is. My advice to my players and myself is not to think too much. We have enough good players and the mentality will give us extra. Maybe it will help us.

“I never came here and said ‘oh, we didn’t have this player’. I am so sorry for them but they have to recover individually. We are going to wait but that is why we have a good squad.

“It’s the best thing to move forward. People don’t care if you have injuries. Find the solutions you have to find.”