Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Manchester City defender John Stones is ruled out of Saturday's Premier League clash against Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium.
The 29-year-old missed the Citizens' 3-0 victory away against Burnley in the Premier League last Friday due to a hip problem.
Stones was then deemed fit to travel to Athens as part of a 22-man squad for City's UEFA Super Cup clash against Sevilla on Wednesday, and he watched on as an unused substitute as the Champions League holders won 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes.
Guardiola stated before the match that Stones could be in a position to return to action for the Premier League battle with Newcastle.
However, the Catalan boss has since revealed that the England international has picked up a muscle injury in training and will be unavailable for Saturday's match.
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Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Guardiola said: "Yes, John is out. [He has a] muscular issue. Last training he did not feel comfortable. I don't know how long he will be out."
Stones was an integral cog in Guardiola's Man City machine that won the treble last season, making 34 appearances in all competitions operating in either defence or midfield.
Man City are also having to cope without Kevin De Bruyne who is ruled out for up to four months with a hamstring injury, and Guardiola has revealed that fellow playmaker Bernardo Silva is another who will miss the contest with Newcastle as he continues to recover from illness that ruled him out of the Super Cup win against Sevilla.
"Of course, Bernardo will be back soon. Next week, he will be ready," Guardiola told reporters.
Meanwhile, centre-back Ruben Dias is doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff after missing Man City's last two fixtures due to concussion, while attacker Julian Alvarez is fit to feature despite suffering with "discomfort" prior to the Super Cup win.
"Ruben maybe he will be fit," Guardiola added. "Julian had a problem, was in discomfort otherwise he would have played [more against Sevilla].
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"He is becoming so important for us and he only managed to play in Greece for 15-20 minutes. Especially as he's an incredible penalty-taker. In terms of personality, that's why he played the last minutes."
Guardiola has acknowledged that his Man City squad have little time to prepare for Saturday's game against Newcastle, but he hopes his side can overcome the "challenge" ahead of them.
"Now we have a big, big problem especially for this game but in general," said Guardiola. "That is what it is. 4am time recovery, arrive here late. Today we cannot train. We don't have time, I would love one more day.
"I accept this is the challenge. That's why we won because we overcome those positions.
"One of the more physical teams, one of the more efficient teams in the Premier League right now, I would say are Liverpool and Newcastle. This is what defines the big teams, how we compete with the problems."
Man City take on a Newcastle side who finished fourth in the Premier League last season and who comfortably won their opening game of the new season against Aston Villa by a 5-1 scoreline last weekend.
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