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Manchester City travelled to Newcastle without midfielder Nico Gonzalez after an injury he picked up against Brighton
Pep Guardiola said that Manchester City have another problem after Nico Gonzalez was ruled out of their Carabao Cup semi-final having picked up an injury. Gonzalez suffered the 'incredible knock' against Brighton last Wednesday and, while he was on the bench for the FA Cup game, he did not come on and 'didn't recover well' from the blow.
City therefore took the decision for Gonzalez not to travel to Newcastle on Tuesday night and it is unclear how long he will be out for. Guardiola may be asked about his midfielder in his post-match press conference for more details about the problem.
Gonzalez had only just returned from a knock picked up against Sunderland when he played against Brighton, but he only lasted an hour before being replaced by Rodri. The 24-year-old has been an important part of getting City to where they are this season, and Guardiola will hope he is not out for long.
"He's injured. He didn't recover well, he made an effort but it's a step back," said Guardiola, speaking before the game.
There was some good news for City at St James Park with Rayan Ait-Nouri going straight into the squad for the first leg of their semi-final after Algeria were knocked out of the African Cup of Nations. The defender saw a flight back to Manchester cancelled but was able to train on Monday and felt good enough to be included on Tuesday.
New signing Antoine Semenyo starts again for his new club, able to play despite having previously featured for Bournemouth this season due to a rule change in the competition. Max Alleyne is in the same boat following his return from Watford, starting his third game in a row.
Gonzalez adds to City's lengthy injury list though, joining Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Savinho, Mateo Kovacic, John Stones and Oscar Bobb on the sidelines. City will host Newcastle in the second leg of their semi-final in the first week of February.
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