Pep expects Khusanov to miss next three games | OneFootball

Abdukodir Khusanov is set to miss our Carabao Cup clash with Huddersfield Town through injury, Pep Guardiola has confirmed.

The City boss is set make changes for our trip to West Yorkshire at 19:45 (UK) after naming the same side for our past three matches.

He confirmed that James Trafford will come back into the starting line-up with Academy players also in contention to feature against the League One side.

But we will be without Khusanov with the Uzbekistan international forced off at half-time during our 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.

“He will be out for the next three games I think,” Guardiola said in his pre-match news conference.

Asked whether Trafford would start, he added: “Yeah. [He’s been unbelievable [since Gianluigi Donnarumma arrived].

“He is training better than ever, he is a fantastic keeper. And with me, all the keepers, the second keepers always play a lot of games. That will not be an exception.

“We are so safe, so confident, and he is so young, he will learn with Gigi and in the future we see what happens.”

Academy players Divine Mukasa and Stephen Mfuni have been on the bench in recent weeks as we picked up wins against Manchester United and Napoli and drew at the Emirates.

Guardiola confirmed Academy players will be involved against Huddersfield and says the early rounds of the League Cup gives them a good opportunity to get minutes on the pitch.

“For sure they will come [with us] and after will see if they play from the beginning or during the game,” he said.

“Some players from the Academy last season like [against] Spurs and before against Newcastle, two games away and played really good. We were out but played really good.

“I always say before, it’s an incredible competition in the beginning for the players who don’t play in the first games, but when we have injuries like we have right now I don’t want to spend too much energy on this competition because the priority is the Premier League.

“This is circumstances, the Premier League and Champions League.”

Former Academy players have already featured this season with Trafford, Rico Lewis, Phil Foden, Oscar Bobb and Nico O’Reilly all playing regularly.

O’Reilly started the last three matches at left-back and if injuries weren’t hitting the squad so hard, he could move into midfield where he has spent much of his young career.

“It depends on the injured players. If Rayan Ait-Nouri should be fit he would play there, Nico [O’Reilly] would play in the middle,” Guardiola said.

“It’s been a really really tough week, in terms of physical demand, emotionally coming from two defeats and everything.

“And the last game has been really tough, three days recovery and coming back from London late. All these kind of stuff.

“[On Sunday] the players were so tired, today will be even more. Tomorrow will have a game, against a League One team they are you know especially [tough] away.

“My only concern is rest - energy for the players for Saturday and Burnley. But Nico is young and Phil is young and is completely different like our grandfathers Bernardo [Silva]!”