Sergio Aguero is set to hand Manchester City a boost by returning over the Christmas period.
The Argentina international has been out for nearly a month with a thigh strain, but is ready to step up training as he reaches the final stages of his recovery.
Tonight’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Oxford is likely to come too soon for the striker, while David Silva is also out following a knock sustained in the derby defeat to Manchester United.
Pep Guardiola confirmed: “Aguero is coming back. He did a big part of the training. The next step is to take part in the training session with the team.
“David is not ready. We will see after that on Thursday or Friday whether he can train for Leicester, we will see.”
Leroy Sane has also stepped up his recovery from knee ligament damage, but Guardiola could not give a time frame for the German winger’s return.
“It’s the next step to get to the pitch and the next round will be to start training with us and be part of the training session,” he said.
“A full training session is incredibly good news for him and for all of us. This is good.”
Predicted Man City XI (4-3-3): Bravo; Cancelo, Otamendi, Garcia, Angelino; De Bruyne, Gundogan, Foden; Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling.
