JAKARTA - Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne can start. Pep Guardiola's manager can breathe a sigh of relief. But striker Erling Haaland is still absent from the match against Newcastle United.
Guardiola reorganized the composition of Man City's players after competing in the FA Cup. Man City had no trouble facing opponents from the bottom division, Huddersfield Town FC. They beat their opponents 5-0 so they could qualify for the fourth round.
After completing his duties at the FA Cup, now Man City is back to focus on the English Premier League competition. The next match against Newcastle at St James' Park Stadium, Sunday, January 15 in the morning WIB.
In that match, Guardiola has not been able to field Haaland who is still injured. This means Haaland has been absent for the past month. Likewise with defender John Stones who have not been played.
On the other hand, De Bruyne has been able to play again. The senior midfielder of the Belgian national team was absent for five months due to a hamstring injury.
De Bruyne has actually been fielded by Guardiola against Huddersfield. Only he appeared in the second half and made an assist that Jeremy Doku completed to score his fifth goal.
But De Bruyne will start when Man City face Newcastle. "We will face a difficult match against Newcastle," said Guardiola.
"Furthermore, we have two weeks to refresh our minds by undergoing training in Abu Dhabi. During the refresh, I hope the player's condition can be better," he said. "I want Kevin back, Erling back. Likewise Jeremy and Jack [Grealish]. If all the players have returned, we will be able to compete in various competitions until the end," said Guardiola.
Man City itself is ranked third in the standings. Meanwhile, Newcastle took ninth place after losing five defeats to the last six matches.
But in the FA Cup, The Magpies showed their best performance. They beat Sunderland 3-0 which brought Newcastle to the fourth round.
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