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Manuel Akanji, the Manchester City defender, is reportedly set to miss the upcoming UEFA Champions League (UCL) match against Real Madrid, apart from the Premier League games against Newcastle United and Liverpool, due to a muscular injury. The worrying thing for the City is the expected long absence of Akanji from action, which could last for a few weeks. The recent defeat for Manchester City at home with a 2-2 scoreline against Real Madrid in the first leg of the UCL playoff was already a shocker for the club. Now, to make things worse, the City will not only miss Manuel Akanji, but also the inclusion of Jack Grealish isn't confirmed either.
Notably, Manchester City will face Real Madrid on Wednesday, February 19 for the second leg of the UCL match. As per the report by City insider FPLMaineRoad on X, Akanji will be out of action for the next few months and has a high chance of missing the remainder of the season. The Switzerland defender sustained an injury during a game against Real Madrid earlier this week and had to be replaced before half-time.
When asked about the defender's situation, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola replied, "I don't know." If the reports are to be believed, Akanji may miss the reverse encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu, though Manchester City has options to replace the centre-back.
Manchester City might also get Jack Grealish setback with big matches ahead
Manchester City is getting back-to-back shocks with top players getting injured and will miss upcoming matches. Defenders John Stones, Nathan Ake, and Ruben Dias, are back to the team after their injury absence, but along with Akanji, Jack Grealish could miss some action in the near future.
Jack Grealish, while playing against Real Madrid, had to leave the game within 30 minutes as he was seen holding his groin, and was replaced by Phil Foden. Guardiola was unsure of the degree of the injury after the game, but accepts the offensive midfielder will miss City's next two games. Defensive midfielder Rodri underwent surgery for a major knee injury in September and will be out of this season. However, the Spanish footballer is on the list of City's Champions League knockout round team. Meanwhile, Guardiola says he is under no pressure to bring Rodri back this season.
