Manchester City trio Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabian Delph and Brahim Diaz were absent from the travelling party that headed to London for tonight’s Premier League clash against Tottenham, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The regional newspaper claim left-back Zinchenko and midfield duo Delph and Diaz were not spotted among the squad that left Manchester Piccadilly for the trip to the capital.
The Manchester Evening News report Pep Guardiola has otherwise taken a full-strength squad to London for the eagerly-anticipated Monday night showdown, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
OPINION
Would Zinchenko or Delph be in the City team to face Tottenham were they fit and available? Probably not, although they would certainly be on the bench. As for rising star Diaz, he is currently a fringe man as he battles a galaxy of superstars for a regular starting role at the most fiercely competitive club in the Premier League in terms of playing time. Delph would be especially valuable for the Spurs match as Guardiola will be unable to call upon Ilkay Gundogan once again due to injury. That means anchorman Fernandinho is likely to be joined by magicians Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva in midfield, with Sergio Aguero set to lead the line joined by two out of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez. On current form, that is a tough decision as all of the attacking quartet have been in outstanding form of late. Mahrez is likely to start after his masterclasses against Burnley and Shakhtar Donetsk, with Sterling the most likely man on the opposite flank.