Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Savinho is set for six to eight weeks on the sidelines with a calf injury.The 21-year-old attacker was missing from the matchday squad for City...
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Savinho is set for six to eight weeks on the sidelines with a calf injury.
The 21-year-old attacker was missing from the matchday squad for City’s 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday as Kaoru Mitoma cancelled out Erling Haaland’s penalty to hold Guardiola’s side to their third draw of 2026.
Arsenal host Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday evening and can extend their advantage at the top of the table to eight points with a victory, which will hand a significant blow to Manchester City’s title chances.
City have drawn all of their games in 2026 so far and after frustrating results against Sunderland and Chelsea in the last seven days, the Blues were far from their best against Brighton on Wednesday as their title chances took their latest blow.
Guardiola made five changes to his starting XI against the Seagulls, with academy star Max Alleyne handing a full senior debut just days after being recalled from loan at Watford in the wake of injuries to Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias against Chelsea.
Rodri, Nico O’Reilly and Rayan Cherki all dropped to the bench but did manage to come on in the second-half as Manchester City looked to salvage a win after Mitoma’s expertly taken equaliser from the edge of the box.
Alleyne and Abdukodir Khusanov lined up at the heart of defence in the absence of Gvardiol and Dias, with Nathan Ake starting at left-back amid speculation over the 30-year-old defender’s future at the Etihad Stadium as the January transfer window progresses.
Savinho was absent altogether from City’s matchday squad against Brighton, with Guardiola confirming after the draw that the injury that forced the winger to be substituted against Sunderland on New Year’s Day is set to keep him on the sidelines for ‘a month-and-a-half, two months’.
Manchester City saw Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo score a late winner against Tottenham on Wednesday, with the 26-year-old set to undergo a medical on Thursday morning ahead of his impending £65 million transfer to the Etihad Stadium.
However, Guardiola has refused to rule out making further additions to his frontline in January in the backdrop of Savinho’s injury.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the transfer window. I don’t know,” the Catalan said in his post-match press conference on whether Savinho’s injury can force a rethink for the Blues in the transfer window.
City have also intensified their pursuit of Crystal Palace and England centre-half Marc Guehi this month as executives at the Etihad Stadium look to strengthen Guardiola’s backline as the Blues compete on all fronts in the second half of the season.
Category: General Sports
