Why Abdukodir Khusanov is absent from Manchester City matchday squad against Brentford | OneFootball

Abdukodir Khusanov is missing from Manchester City’s matchday squad to face Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

City must get all three points against Keith Andrews and co to stay in the title race after succumbing to a 3-3 draw against Everton on Monday night.

Pep Guardiola has made two changes to his starting XI against Brentford, with Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders coming in for Khusanov and Nico Gonzalez.

Man City line-up vs Brentford explained

Rodri remains absent for the Blues as he recovers from a calf injury sustained in a 2-1 Premier League win over Arsenal in April, with Josko Gvardiol also missing despite having returned to full first-team training this week.

However, Ruben Dias has been deemed fit enough to make the bench as City aim to return to winning ways and mount pressure on Arsenal, who face West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday.

Ahead of Saturday’s 17:30 UK kick-off between Manchester City and Brentford at the City in the Community Etihad Stadium, it has been confirmed that Khusanov is missing from the matchday squad.

Why Khusanov is absent from Man City squad vs Brentford

The Uzbekistan international “is not fully fit” for the clash, as cited by Manchester City’s official channels, though Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News has added that Khusanov’s injury is not believed to be serious.

Guardiola has revealed that Khusanov suffered a “tough knock in a painful area” in City’s 3-3 draw with Everton earlier this week, though the Manchester City manager is expected to issue a detailed update on the centre-half after the Brentford game.

The Blues will be hopeful that Khusanov can recover in time for next week’s home fixture against Crystal Palace, which will precede Manchester City’s FA Cup final tie with Chelsea at Wembley.