Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that defenders Josko Gvardiol and Nathan Ake are available to face Burnley in the opening Premier League game of the new season at Turf Moor on Friday.
Gvardiol was officially unveiled as a Citizens player last week, joining from RB Leipzig for a reported €90m (£77.9m) and penning a five-year contract.
The 21-year-old was not involved in the Community Shield defeat on penalties to Arsenal last Sunday, but Guardiola has revealed that the defender is available to make his City debut against Burnley.
Asked about Gvardiol's availability at a pre-match press conference on Thursday, Guardiola simply replied: "Yeah he's ready."
Man City have also been boosted by the news that fellow left-footed defender Ake is in contention to feature after recovering from a minor injury on the club's pre-season tour of Asia.
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Ake was not named in the matchday squad for the Community Shield, but Guardiola has confirmed that the Dutchman is ready for the trip to Turf Moor, stating: "He trained good, he's ready too."
Man City therefore have a clean bill of health ahead of their opening Premier League game of the new campaign against last season's Championship winners Burnley, who are managed by Citizens legend Vincent Kompany.
Guardiola has heaped praise on his opposite number ahead of Friday's clash, saying: "Vinny knows us well and has done an incredible job, changing the way Burnley played for the last few years with Sean Dyche. He destroyed the Championship, since day one it was win, win, win and it's so difficult in this competition - he's done an incredible job.
"So with the style from Vinny, it will be a tough game, especially at the beginning, it's so difficult. You sometimes need time to reset, but we have to come back the way we were. It's a question of time.
"Normally, the first games are difficult. Especially against newly-promoted teams because they have nothing to lose, they have the energy and the dream for a good season.
Man City are out to defend their Premier League crown and become the first club in 134 years to win four successive English top-flight titles.
Nevertheless, Guardiola has insisted that he is focused on his side building rhythm in the opening stages of the new season and not an immediate challenge for the Premier League title.
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"It feels like it finished yesterday but we start again from zero and try to play game by game," Guardiola said as quoted by mancity.com.
"In September you don't think about the title. But our level, day-by-day we will try to be better than the day before and go for it. We're here so we'll try."
Guardiola believes that replicating the club's historic treble-winning campaign in 2022-23 is almost 'impossible', adding: "It's once in a lifetime, I said to the players forget it, we climbed the highest mountain but now we come down the mountain and we start from there with everyone with the same intention.
"It will be difficult to climb as high as possible and we will see our football, our behaviours, our mentality, will dictate how the season will be. Football and sport, what we've done will remain in our hearts and minds but it's over.
"Every season we start from zero again, but our history speaks for itself. It's almost impossible to repeat, we're aware but we know how difficult it was and will try to do a good performance against Burnley, and after Newcastle then Sheffield United and game by game."
Man City enter Friday's fixture having won each of their last 11 meetings with Burnley by an aggregate score of 40-1, including a thumping 6-0 victory against Kompany's side in the FA Cup quarter-finals in March.
Oliver Thomas
