Manchester City take on Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday knowing they need to kick-start their UCL campaign.
After six years of almost uninterrupted success, Manchester City has seen its invincibility break through this season. A combination of loss of form and shortcomings in the transfer market has hampered City's imperious rise, but the biggest factor could well be a series of long-term injuries to key players.
City take on Paris Saint-Germain in a crucial Champions League match on Wednesday and Pep Guardiola has confirmed that two defensive stalwarts are back in contention.
John Stones is fit to play for the first time since suffering a foot injury at the beginning of November. He joins fellow defender Ruben Dias, who made his first start in six games when he played 90 minutes in the 6-0 thrashing of Ipswich Town last weekend.
“Step by step the players are coming back and hopefully we can be there in the Premier League and qualify here. Today John returned to the team, which is incredibly good news for us,” Guardiola confirmed.
“We can add to the position where we struggled a lot all season. We couldn't find our rhythm and I couldn't demand the guys who were with us [more] because there was fear of getting hurt.”
Manchester City currently sit 22nd in the new 32-team competition stage, leaving their hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds hanging by a thread. Guardiola's side are starting to return to form in the domestic league, having now won four of their last five games. However, they have not beaten a real team since their 2-0 win over Chelsea on the opening day of the season.
The Premier League title is out of City's reach this season, even if they can produce a characteristically strong run of form at the end of the season. However, the Champions League remains a viable option and a realistic chance to salvage a very disappointing season for the reigning English champions.
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