Yahoo Sports Guardiola granted double fitness boost for Manchester derby as star who can be Utd’s ‘worst nightmare’ returns
Ruben Amorim is preparing for his second meeting with Pep Guardiola this season – but his first-ever Manchester derby.
Indeed, the time has come again when the two Premier League goliaths lock horns in a clash that offers far more than just the three points on the line.
Manchester United will enter the match in 13th place, eight points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who have won only one of their last nine matches in all competitions.
In that time, Guardiola was overturned 4-1 by Amorim’s relentless Sporting Lisbon side in the Champions League, as well as losing 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur, 2-1 to Bournemouth and 2-1 to Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Blues return to European action tomorrow night in a group-stage contest against Juventus in Turin, meaning they will have one extra day of rest over United as they take on Viktoria Plzen in Thursday’s early Europa League kick-off (5.45pm).
Guardiola welcomes two key starters back to training on Tuesday
City playing a day earlier means fans of both clubs were able to gain some insight into the options we can expect Guardiola to have at his disposal come Sunday due to the media being allowed to spectate a portion of their training session today.
Alas, he’s been boosted by the returns of both Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic, the latter of which Frank Lampard claimed can be players’ ‘worst nightmare’ when in his best form.
Whether the pair will be deployed from the offset against Juventus remains to be seen, but you’d imagine they’d feature in some capacity due to City’s issues as of late. The Croatian has been unavailable since early November, missing the side’s last five matches.
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Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic RETURN! | Man City train ahead of Juventus Champions League clash
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As for Foden, he played 79 minutes in City’s loss to Liverpool before falling ill with bronchitis. He’s particularly struggled for form this season after failing to open his account for 2024/2025 in 10 league appearances; his only three goals have come in Europe.
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