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Manchester City's injury list grew again on Wednesday night as they advanced to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup against Brentford.
Manchester City advanced to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night with a 2-0 victory over Brentford at the Etihad Stadium. However, an otherwise pleasing night for Pep Guardiola was marred by the injury to Oscar Bobb in the first half.
The Norwegian had not started for the Blues since the 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. But his start against the Bees lasted only 19 minutes as he was forced off with an injury.
Rayan Cherki scored a magnificent effort on 32 minutes to send City on their way to the last four. Savinho's deflected strike in the second half looped over Hakon Valdimarsson to seal the victory and now a two-legged semi-final against Newcastle awaits City in 2026. But before they can focus on that, they must turn their attention to the Premier League.
West Ham are the next visitors to the Etihad Stadium and the Blues have a growing injury list to contend with heading into the fixture. MEN Sport has taken a closer look at the injured players in the City squad and when they could return to the team.
Oscar Bobb
Injury: Hamstring
Guardiola confirmed in his post-match press conference that Bobb notified the bench of a hamstring issue. The decision was made not to take any further risks with him and he was replaced by Phil Foden.
The City boss explained: "After 10 to 15 minutes he complained about the muscular rhythm. Apparently it's a hamstring. Hopefully it's not a big one and he can be back soon."
Potential return date: January 2026
Jeremy Doku
Injury: Muscular
Doku picked up an injury which is believed to be a muscular issue in his leg after the victory over Real Madrid last week. He did not make the trip to Crystal Palace and Guardiola has since confirmed the forward will miss the festive fixtures.
Potential return date: January 2026
Rodri
Injury: Hamstring
The Spaniard has been missing since the victory over Bournemouth at the beginning of November. Due to him missing almost the entirety of last season with an ACL issue, the Blues are keen to be cautious with Rodri's return date.
Both Guardiola and his assistant Kolo Toure have insisted he is making good progress but an exact return date is unknown.
Potential return date: December 2025/January 2026
John Stones
Injury: Thigh
There was half a chance we could have seen Stones in the matchday squad against Brentford after Toure said he would be 'back soon'. However, this did not happen.
The defender is still seen as the player most likely to return first and that may be against West Ham on Saturday.
Potential return date: December 20 vs West Ham
Mateo Kovacic
Injury: Ankle
Kovacic remains the long-term injury concern for the Blues with his return date not expected until later in the season. The midfielder has not featured since the 2-0 win against Villarreal in the Champions League.
Potential return date: February 2026
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