Manchester City: Aït Nouri doubtful for clash against Newcastle | OneFootball

Will Aït Nouri be able to play against Newcastle? Guardiola clarifies the situation

Aït Nouri / @x.com/ManCity

Spanish manager Pep Guardiola of Manchester City has spoken about the situation of Algerian left-back Rayan Aït Nouri on the eve of the highly anticipated clash against Newcastle, scheduled for this Tuesday.

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Will Aït Nouri be able to play against Newcastle? Guardiola clarifies the situation

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Skyblues' clash with the Magpies, Guardiola first addressed the general fitness of his squad:"We'll see the situation after today's training. Some players are dealing with minor physical issues, so we'll check how they feel tomorrow."

The Catalan coach then gave an update specifically on Aït Nouri:

"Rayan Aït Nouri has returned from the Africa Cup of Nations. Unfortunately, he missed a connecting flight, which slightly delayed his return. We'll see tomorrow how he feels. We won't take any risks with players who might be at risk of injury again."

Additionally, Guardiola took the opportunity to praise the early performances of new signing Antoine Semenyo, who joined Manchester City on a five-and-a-half-year deal until the summer of 2031: "He's really a very pleasant person. Against Exeter, he showed glimpses of what he was already doing at Bournemouth. We hope he'll keep building on that momentum here."

As a reminder, the Citizens will travel this Tuesday evening to St James' Park, the home of Newcastle United, with kick-off at 20:00 GMT, for the first leg of the 2025/2026 English League Cup semi-final.

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