Manchester City are set to be without five players for Saturday lunchtime's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium.
While Rodri is still building up his fitness in individual training after almost seven months out with an ACL injury, Nathan Ake (foot), John Stones (thigh) and Erling Haaland (ankle) are also in the treatment room.
Manuel Akanji is believed to be closing in on a return after undergoing abductor surgery in mid-February, but this weekend's game will come too soon for the defender.
Man City have kept a clean sheet in their last two matches - a 2-0 win over Leicester and a 0-0 draw with Manchester United - so Pep Guardiola will be tempted to name the same back four of Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Nico O'Reilly, protecting goalkeeper Ederson between the sticks.
However, Rico Lewis will hope to displace Nunes at right-back, while Abdukodir Khusanov could be recalled to start at centre-back, which would potentially see Gvardiol move over to left-back.
In midfield, Nico Gonzalez is in contention to return and replace either Mateo Kovacic or Ilkay Gundogan, while Kevin De Bruyne could captain the Citizens at the Etihad for the first time since announcing his departure at the end of the season.
Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden are in danger of being replaced out wide as Savinho, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish are all pushing for a recall, while Omar Marmoush - who has scored five goals in as many top-flight games at the Etihad since joining in January - is set to continue up front in Haaland's absence.
Manchester City possible starting lineup: Ederson; Lewis, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gundogan, Gonzalez; Savinho, De Bruyne, Doku; Marmoush > Click here to see how Crystal Palace could line up for this contestMore must-reads:
Liverpool’s summer of transformation may not be over yet — and a decision being made in Madrid this week could have major implications. According to The Standard, Real Madrid are preparing for a meeting with Rodrygo to decide the 24-year-old’s future, amid growing interest from Liverpool. The Brazilian international, who played 54 games and registered 25 goal involvements last season, is said to favour a move to the Premier League if he does leave the Santiago Bernabeu. But any move to Anfield could depend on whether we sanction the sale of another forward. Rodrygo transfer talks underway as Real Madrid prepare meeting French outlet Foot Mercato have reported that Liverpool have already held discussions with Rodrygo’s camp to gauge interest in a move, even if no formal contact with Madrid has taken place. This aligns with reporting from Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri on X, who claims our club is “monitoring the situation closely” due to game-time uncertainty under new boss Xabi Alonso. Rodrygo was benched in five of Madrid’s six FIFA Club World Cup fixtures this summer and could face more rotation with Los Blancos. A formal meeting between Rodrygo and the Spanish champions is now said to be scheduled, with both parties keen to clarify if a summer transfer is realistic. Diaz uncertainty could be key to Rodrygo arrival at Anfield Liverpool’s stance on Luis Diaz remains firm — with The Athletic reporting we have “no intention to sell” our Colombian winger. But ongoing links to Bayern, Barcelona and Saudi Arabia have refused to go away, and the increasing speculation may signal a shifting role in Arne Slot’s plans. The 28-year-old featured heavily last season, but with Cody Gakpo favoured on the left, and Hugo Ekitike expected to arrive soon, there’s less certainty around where Diaz fits in. Slot’s fondness for Diaz is no secret, but if a major offer does materialise, we appear ready to act. Rodrygo, who can play across the front three but thrives on the right, could be a long-term replacement for Mo Salah as well. Liverpool have already signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen to bolster our attacking options, and Jeremie Frimpong also offers versatility down the right flank. Add in our agreement for Hugo Ekitike, and the signs point to one of the most ambitious rebuilds seen at the club in years. Whether Rodrygo becomes part of that vision now depends on what happens in Madrid in the coming days.
Caitlin Clark might be the most popular figure in women's basketball right now, but she continues to draw shots left and right, both on and off the court. The Iowa product has stayed even keeled and mostly unrattled, but that doesn't mean she won't fight back. That's why, in the light of Kelsey Plum's recent comments, she decided to take matters into her own hands and clapped back at her with a simple, six-word message. Plum shared a picture of her during the WNBA's All-Star Weekend, which showed half of a Nike logo in the background. Clark was quick to spot it and just wrote "Thank u for the Nike ad." This happened just hours after Plum seemingly took a shot at Clark and her Team Clark teammates for reportedly not getting involved in their pre-game protest. “The T-shirt was determined this morning. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that,” Plum revealed. “That really needed to be mentioned,” Sabrina Ionescu added while both laughed. WNBA All-Stars warmed up with a T-Shirt that read 'Pay us what you owe us,' ahead of their new CBA agreement, which is expected to be signed in the offseason. WNBA players get around 9 percent of the league's revenue, and they're asking for a bigger share since most of them also have to play overseas during the offseason because of the salary disparity. Plum is the vice president of the WNBPA, so it's not surprising to see her so involved in the protest and the demands. Then again, it's hard to understand the reasoning behind the tattle telling, as not only does it show that there might not be a united front ahead of these negotiations, but it also drives attention away from where it should be.
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora appeared to tamper with Kyle Schwarber on Tuesday. Cora’s Red Sox were in the middle of a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies, which is why the subject of Schwarber came up. Phillies Nation reporter Destiny Lugardo asked Cora about Schwarber’s upcoming free agency. The Red Sox manager said he would be “very, very intrigued” to see how Schwarber’s free agency plays out. Lugardo took that to mean that Cora will be advocating for the Red Sox to try to sign Schwarber. However, Cora acknowledged that Philadelphia has been great for the slugger. "I hate to say it, but (Philly) is a perfect place for him,” Cora said, via Lugardo. Schwarber, 32, was a trade-deadline acquisition by the Red Sox in 2021. He batted .291 with a .957 OPS in 41 regular-season games with the team. The Red Sox lost in the ALCS that year with Cora as the manager. During that offseason, Schwarber signed a four-year, $79 million contract with the Phillies, which has worked out well. Schwarber has slugged 164 home runs over his four seasons with the Phillies with an .849 OPS. He has been such a good fit with the Phillies that the team might not want to let him go. The problem is, Cora even just describing himself “intrigued” over Schwarber’s free agency may be enough to be considered tampering with a player who is under contract with another team.
On Saturday night, Kelsey Plum was part of Team Collier's 151-131 win over Team Clark in the WNBA All-Star Game, scoring 16 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Following the game, the Los Angeles Sparks star was asked about WNBA All-Stars wearing shirts before the game that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us." Specifically, Plum was asked about how that idea came together. "The T-shirt — just a united front," she said. "That was determined this morning, that we had a meeting for. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that." Plum said it with a chuckle. However, she was sitting next to New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who rolled her eyes and said, "Didn't really need to be mentioned" before laughing. It was awkward, especially because Caitlin Clark, as well as all of the members of Team Clark, wore the shirts. If Clark didn't wear the shirt, you could understand some backlash. But she did. It should also be noted that Team Collier featured the president of the WNBA Players Association, Nneka Ogwumike, as well as the first vice president, Plum, and two vice presidents, Napheesa Collier and Brenna Stewart. It makes sense if they took on greater leadership roles in a statement like this against the league. Whether Plum likes it or not, the reason the WNBA has any sort of leverage heading into these negotiations with the league is Clark. She would do well to remember that the next time she wants to take an unnecessary shot at Clark, who is responsible for the greatest surge in fan attention the WNBA has ever seen.
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