Manchester City have their final Champions League group game against Sevilla on Wednesday evening and Vital Man City suggested Cole Palmer could play if he’s passed fit in time.
The 20-year-old was left out of the matchday squad in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Leicester City and it was revealed to be down to a minor injury that also saw him miss training.
Palmer has recovered and is believed to be in contention of facing Sevilla, so Pep Guardiola answered whether he could get the nod on Wednesday.
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He said in Tuesday’s pre-match press conference: “I will decide after training who will start – but he has to be himself. He doesn’t have to show me anything special. If he plays – and as I said I don’t know yet.
“If he is here, it’s because he has the attributes to be himself. Not because he has to prove anything to me.” Palmer has made 10 appearances in all competitions this season but is yet to start a game. He’s amassed only 165 minutes of football across the board and will be desperate to start in Europe.
With City having booked their place in the Champions League knockouts as group winners, Guardiola can ring the changes from the win over Leicester, giving out-of-favour players a rare run out while resting his regulars.
Vital Man City have predicted that Stefan Ortega could replace Ederson in goal, Sergio Gomez could replace Joao Cancelo at left-back, Riyad Mahrez could replace Bernardo Silva at right-wing and Cole Palmer could replace Jack Grealish on the left, so the Sky Blues will be much-changed.
In other news, Pep Guardiola gives positive Kyle Walker injury update
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