It has been a tough few weeks for City on the injury front with a number of key players having been affected.
John Stones, Jack Grealish and Ruben Dias were all not part of the matchday squad that travelled out to Lisbon.
Meanwhile long-term injury victims Rodrigo and Oscar Bobb also remain sidelined.
But asked about the fitness of Erling Haaland along with several other members of the squad who have travelled to Portugal, the manager delivered the latest fitness update.
“Erling is fine,” the boss revealed.
“[Is he ok playing all games?] I don’t think so. Maybe international games [in November] he can rest.
“Manu [Akanji] and Nathan [Ake] are still with problems.
“Kevin [De Bruyne] is getting better. He is having sessions with less pain, so we feel he is getting more and more comfortable. That is good news for all of us.
“Kyle [Walker] as well. He had problems with his knee since being with the national team.
“[Jeremy] Doku has had problems with muscular issues, Savinho is getting better with his ankle. The rest are fine.
“Oscar, the most important player in pre-season, is injured. Jack is still not fit. You know the situation with Rodri, nominated the best player in the world.
“We know we will struggle, and we have to accept that, and it is fine.
“The games will be difficult; in previous seasons it was smooth. Personal reason, injuries, we won six Premier Leagues in seven years - things change.
“We have to accept that.”
City will step out at the Estádio José Alvalade lying in third position in the Champions League table, seeking to secure a third consecutive European win following back-to-back triumphs against Sparta Prague and Slovan Bratislava.
However, it won’t be easy against a Sporting side who are also on seven points from their first three Champions League fixtures.
The Lisbon side also lead the way in the Portuguese Primeira Liga table having recorded a perfect ten wins out of ten so far this term.
And Guardiola, who oversaw a fine 5-0 win at Sporting in a Champions League last 16 clash in 2022, said he was anticipating the toughest of encounters from Ruben Amorin’s side, with the departing Sporting boss poised to take over at Manchester United next week.
“They play quite similar like we faced two seasons ago, the pattern is so clear,” Pep added.
“They use the ball possession from the back little bit more now. They had a striker two years ago and they linked with him, Viktor Gyokeres now runs in behind.
“They have a good link inside, can switch play and have good movement upfront.
“They have changed players but have same manager and same mentality.
“Winning the league for first time in 20 years and then doing it again last season shows what a good job he has done.”
Sporting CP v City app coverage
Our official app allows you to follow all of the action from Lisbon in one place.
Minute-by-minute text updates will begin in our Matchday Centre two hours before kick-off, whilst our Matchday Live show, hosted by Natalie Pike, will begin at 18:45 (UK).
City legends Nedum Onuoha and Shaun Wright-Phillips will be the special guests on the latest Matchday Live show, offering their expert insight pre-mathc, at half-time and in greater detail after the final whistle.
During the game you can listen to live audio commentary from Alistair Mann and Andy Morrison, whilst our text commentary continues.
Make sure to have push notifications turned on as well, so you can be alerted to key moments in the action, including goals, red cards and the team news.
Highlights from the match, as well as a full-match replay [available on CITY+] will also be available from 23:00 (UK).
