Belgian winger Doku, who has been in terrific form this term, was forced to miss last Sunday’s impressive 3-0 Premier League win away at Crystal Palace with the boss revealing he had picked up a leg injury.
Meanwhile Stones (thigh) and Rodri (hamstring) were also sidelined from the trip to south east London.
Addressing the media ahead of tomorrow night’s Etihad clash, the City boss provided the latest update on the trio alongside his squad options with City in the midst of a hectic December schedule that will see us play seven games in total across the calendar month.
CITY v BRENTFORD | BUY TICKETS
The Blues will now also be without Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri for the next few weeks due to their 2025 African Cup of Nations call-ups with Egypt and Algeria respectively.
“Jeremy and John are out, Rodri is out. The rest I think will be ready,” Pep revealed.
“I don’t know [how long Doku will be out]. Two or three weeks. Sunderland in the New Year maybe. We will see.”
Given the demanding schedule, Guardiola revealed there would be changes to his line-up for the visit of the Bees, which is then followed on Saturday by a crucial Premier League home game with West Ham.
The boss also confirmed that goalkeeper James Trafford is set to start Wednesday’s match with opportunities also likely for a number of other players who haven’t had many match minutes of late.
“James is going to play and all the players that didn’t play recently are going to play and some from the Academy because three days after that we have West Ham,” Guardiola added.
“I’m not saying it’s not the priority to get to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, but normally when we achieve it, it’s when we have all the squad, no injuries and we can rotate.
“When you are one game away from the semi-finals, if you can take it, take it, because you never know when it’s coming back.
“We lost Rayan and Omar. We have some injuries like John and Rodri. We’ll see but we want to get to the semi-finals.
“Now we have less recovery, three days not four [after Crystal Palace], of course the players that didn’t play recently are going to play and the Academy so we will see.”
City v Brentford tickets available
Tickets for City’s Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Brentford on Wednesday 17 December are now available on general sale.
Having won this competition four times under Pep Guardiola and eight times in total, we have a storied history in the League Cup.
Victories over Huddersfield and Swansea have brought us to the last eight of this year’s competition, where we’ll face Keith Andrews’ side.
With a semi-final place to play for, it’s set to be an exciting night at the Etihad Stadium.
And with prices from £22.50 for adults and £5 for Under-18s, you can get your tickets now!
To purchase tickets, you will need a Matchday Membership.
Hospitality packages are also available, priced from £150 per person!
