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Manchester City took two painful blows on the eve of the showdown with Leipzig

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Tomorrow, Wednesday, Manchester City will visit Leipzig in the first leg of the Champions League final without Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne and Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte.

Manchester City’s Spanish manager Josep Guardiola revealed the reason for the absence of the players at his press conference on the eve of the match, saying: “They are sick … they felt tired at the end of the match against Nottingham.” in which City drew 1-1 in the Premier League on Saturday, causing them to quickly relinquish their lead to Arsenal.

Laporte played the entire match, and De Bruyne was substituted in the final minutes.

Unlike Bruin, who was and remains the most influential player in Guardiola’s side, Laporte suffered from the injuries that followed and has made 15 appearances in all competitions this season.

Leipzig manager Marco Rose said the absence of De Bruyne would not lessen the danger for Manchester City in tomorrow’s match, saying: “I think Kevin is one of the best players in the world. He sees the gaps (on the field), knows the gaps. and dangerous in front of the gate.

Manchester City work as a team and don’t focus on individuals. Tomorrow we will face a team on the pitch, we will face a team that wants to win the Champions League,” said the German coach, who will miss Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo. said.

As for Guardiola, he indicated that after the draw he said that the encounter with Leipzig “would be very difficult”, adding: “We have known their quality for many years. They have their own culture with young players, the quality of their contracts, their physical strength, their well-defined passing and a lot of depth play and reliance on counterattacks. They cannot be stopped.”

He continued: “We have a lot of respect for what they have done over the past few years as they qualify for the Champions League every year. We have to control our emotions and try to do well before returning to Manchester in three weeks. .

Source: agencies

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