๐ฅถ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐ฌ! โ๏ธ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐ป๐ท๐๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ/๐๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฝ! ๐ณ๐ด๐
By 247sportcity | Tuesday, January 20, 2026
BODร, NORWAY โ Manchester City have touched down in the Arctic Circle for tonightโs Champions League clash with Bodรธ/Glimt, but Pep Guardiola has brought a skeleton crew with him.1 In what is being described as the most severe availability crisis of his tenure, the City boss is without up to 11 senior players due to a brutal mix of injuries, illness, and suspensions.2
Coming off a stinging 2-0 Manchester derby defeat on Saturday, City are looking to secure their place in the Champions League top eight.3 However, the task has been made gargantuan by an injury list that reads more like a starting XI.
The Injury Ward: A Defensive Disaster
The most alarming news for City fans is the total evacuation of their defensive pillars. John Stones, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol have all been ruled out with long-term issues, leaving a massive void in the heart of the backline.4
To make matters worse:
- Matheus Nunesย did not travel after coming down with the flu.5
- Bernardo Silvaย is suspended after picking up his third yellow card of the group stage.6
- Phil Fodenย is traveling but will have to play through the pain of aย broken bone in his handย sustained during the derby.7ย He is expected to wear protective strapping if he features.
- January Signings:ย New arrivalsย Marc Guehiย andย Antoine Semenyoย are ineligible for the group stage, meaning Guardiola cannot call upon his newest reinforcements until the knockout rounds.8
The “Improvised” Lineup: Youth and New Faces
With his hands tied, Guardiola is expected to field one of the most experimental lineups in recent memory. Gianluigi Donnarumma, who joined for ยฃ26m in the summer, will keep his place in goal.9 Ahead of him, the central defensive pairing is likely to be Abdukodir Khusanov and the 20-year-old academy graduate Max Alleyne.10
In midfield, the burden falls on Rodri and summer signing Tijjani Reijnders, who arrived from AC Milan for โฌ55m.11 The creative spark will have to come from Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku, while Erling Haaland returns to his homeland looking to snap a rare “goal drought” (one goal in seven appearances).12
[Table: Manchester City Availability Crisis – January 2026]
| Player | Reason for Absence | Expected Return |
| Ruben Dias | Hamstring Injury | February 2026 |
| John Stones | Knee Injury | Late February 2026 |
| Josko Gvardiol | Ankle Ligament | March 2026 |
| Bernardo Silva | Suspension (Yellow Cards) | vs Wolves (Jan 24) |
| Matheus Nunes | Illness (Flu) | Next Week |
| Mateo Kovacic | Muscle Strain | 2 Weeks |
| Oscar Bobb | Declared Unfit | Unknown |
Guardiolaโs Philosophical Test
Speaking from the Aspmyra Stadion, which features a notorious artificial pitch, Guardiola was defiant. “Life is never a red carpet,” he told reporters.13 “The quicker you adapt and adjust in these uncomfortable situations, the closer you are to success. I will not start to cry for this situation.”
Despite the cold and the missing stars, the pressure is on. Bodรธ/Glimt may be winless in the group, but they are specialists on their own turf. For City, tonight is less about “Pep-ball” and more about survival and “threading order through chaos.”
Predicted Man City XI vs Bodรธ/Glimt (4-2-3-1):
Donnarumma; Lewis, Khusanov, Alleyne, Ait-Nouri; Rodri, Reijnders; Cherki, Foden, Doku; Haaland.14