MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Manchester City playmaker Kevin de Bruyne missed training earlier due to a personal issue but he is available for Thursday’s Premier League home meeting with Tottenham Hotspur, manager Pep Guardiola said.
Guardiola added that defender Ruben Dias, who has been out since sustaining a hamstring injury while playing for Portugal at the World Cup, is also in contention along with fellow centre back John Stones, who missed their last two games.
“He had a personal issue and was not training (on Tuesday). Today he is back,” Guardiola told reporters on Wednesday when asked about De Bruyne.
“They (Stones and Dias) are back. In the last two training sessions they have trained and are in contention. We will train this afternoon. We will see the way we have to play and who is going to play.”
City, second in the league and eight points behind leaders Arsenal, will be looking to return to winning ways after their derby loss to rivals Manchester United.
The team is facing attacking issues after they registered only one shot on target in their last two games.
“Sometimes our fluidity to play has not been as good as usual,” Guardiola said.
“To create chances, you have to play well, with a good build up to spread the defensive line. We’ve struggled in the last two games.
“When we play well it is tactical, we have a duty to find a solution. This is what we have to do; the mentality of this group of players is not in question.”
City’s opponents Spurs lost to Arsenal in the north London derby in their last game and they are fifth on 33 points, having played a game more than Guardiola’s side.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
