Kevin de Bruyne has been declared fit to face Aston Villa – despite suffering a blow to the head against Manchester United.
The Manchester City playmaker was substituted during Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi final, but has suffered no after-effects.
Pep Guardiola confirmed the Belgium international will be in contention to play on Sunday – but revealed Aymeric Laporte is still some way off making a comeback after knee ligament damage.
The centre back is back in full training, but City’s manager refuses to take any risks during his recovery.
“Aymeric is not ready yet,” said Guardiola. “He is training every day. After every session he feels good and that’s good news.
“I don’t know how long it will be before he can play some more minutes.
“I am waiting for the doctor. From what I see on the pitch, he moves well. It is a long time, for five months (out).
“He’s not a small guy like (Raheem) Sterling, who can recover quickly.
“We wait for the doctor to say he can start to play.”
Predicted Man City XI to face Villa: Ederson; Walker, Fernandinho, Otamendi, Mendy; De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva; Bernardo, Aguero, Sterling
