Injury news: Pep on Nico and Khusanov fitness | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola says the fitness of Nico will be assessed ahead of Sunday’s Premier League game at Aston Villa.

The all-action midfielder had to come off at Estadi de la Ceramica on Tuesday in our 2-0 UEFA Champions League triumph against Villarreal with what the manager revealed was a foot issue.

He was substituted just before the hour mark and replaced by Mateo Kovacic, playing in only his second game of the season after coming back from an achilles injury.

The boss said the medical team would check on Nico today and tomorrow ahead of Sunday’s 14:00 kick-off against Unai Emery’s Villans.

“We will see today and tomorrow how he feels,” he said to press at his media briefing.

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The manager also revealed that Abdukodir Khusanov is moving closer to being available but is still not quite right.

The defender has not played since our 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates last month, missing six games in total across three competitions.

“Close to come back but not ready. The injury is in a dangerous position,” he continued.

Looking ahead to the weekend, the boss also confirmed he expects to face Villa with the same squad who took on Villarreal this week meaning no return for Rodri.

Our influential midfielder, who missed a large proportion of the 2024/25 season with knee ligament damage, was forced off in our 1-0 victory at Brentford before the international break.

The 29-year-old was also absent for the subsequent 2-0 victories over Everton in the Premier League and Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League.

“No still the guys who were not available at Villarreal, they are not ready,” he added.