Pep Guardiola has revealed that Manchester City will only have 14 players available for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.
The Citizens currently boast a 5-0 advantage from the first leg and head into their midweek fixture at the Etihad Stadium off the back of an impressive 4-1 home victory over rivals Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.
City were without Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Zack Steffen and Cole Palmer last weekend, with the former set to miss the next four to six weeks with a hamstring injury.
Guardiola has since confirmed to the press that all four players remain sidelined, while Joao Cancelo is also ruled out due to illness and Kyle Walker is suspended.
"We don't have many players, just 14 available, a few problems, Kyle suspended, Joao is sick, of course," the Spaniard said on Tuesday.
"We had an incredible result in the first leg, football is unpredictable, red cards, quality of opponent, we'll take a top side as much as possible. Not many alternatives but will do the best team possible to win the game.
"[Ake is] out too. Right now nobody else, but just three defenders so have to look at the second team and see what we have to do. We look at the training session and see what we have to do."
Guardiola has suggested that academy graduate Luke Mbete could make an appearance at centre-back on Wednesday, stating: "He's trained with us for a long time, application is so high, still young but tomorrow he'll be with the squad and maybe we will need him – we will see."
The Spaniard has also revealed that Kevin De Bruyne "may not start" on Wednesday, after the playmaker came off in the final 10 minutes against Man United as a precaution due to a minor calf problem, while he is also just one booking away from a Champions League suspension.
Meanwhile, Guardiola believed Ukrainian left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko is "ready to play" if called upon despite admitting that it has "not been an easy period for him", following Russia's invasion of his homeland.
Despite a number of absentees, Man City will be the strong favourites to beat Sporting on aggregate and reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the fifth successive season.
Oliver Thomas
