Raheem Sterling Leroy SaneGetty Images

Man City Team News: Injuries, suspensions and line-up vs Stoke City

Manchester City travel to Stoke City on Monday night as they look to take another step towards wrapping up the Premier League title.

Four more wins will do the job for City and they can start at the bet365 Stadium against the 19th-placed Potters.


MAN CITY INJURIES


Sergio Aguero will miss the game after picking up a knee injury in training over the weekend.

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Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho could be back in contention having missed several games in recent weeks. Both are back in training but Pep Guardiola insists he will make a decision closer to kick off.

Fabian Delph is eligible again following his three-match ban but he missed the midweek game against Basel through injury and Guardiola says his situation is "like this and like that". 

Benjamin Mendy is back in full training but will most likely only return to the match day squad in April.

Raheem Sterling Manchester City

MAN CITY SUSPENSIONS


Neither side have any suspensions.


MAN CITY POTENTIAL STARTING LINE-UP


Fernandinho has been back in training and, given his importance to City, there is a good possibility that he will return to the starting line-up.

Should Delph miss out then it is likely that Danilo will fill in at left-back, as he has tended to play in tougher games with more defensive requirements. Similarly, Vincent Kompany could be in line to partner Nicolas Otamendi at centre-back as Guardiola usually uses the centre-back for more physical matches.

If Sterling is not ready to start then Bernardo Silva is most likely to deputise. Gabriel Jesus is most likely to stand in for Aguero, although Guardiola did toy with a strikerless system - using Bernardo, Sterling and Leroy Sane - earlier this season.

Man City possible XI

STOKE CITY TEAM NEWS


Saido Berahino and Kevin Wimmer are back in contention for the Potters after proving their fitness to Paul Lambert.

Mame Biram Diouf, Stephen Ireland and Lee Grant will all miss out, however.


OPTA MATCH FACTS


  • Stoke have kept a clean sheet in three of their last seven Premier League games against Man City, but have conceded 19 goals across the other four games in that time, including seven in the reverse fixture in October.
  • Manchester City haven’t done the league double over Stoke since 1998-99, when they were in the third tier together.
  • Indeed, the Citizens have only won two of their nine Premier League trips to the Bet365 Stadium (D5 L2), though these have come in their last three visits there and both by a 4-1 scoreline.
  • The Potters have only won one of their 15 Premier League games against teams starting that day top of the table (D3 L11), but that win came at home vs Man City in December 2015 (2-0).
  • The team starting the day top of the table hasn’t lost to a team starting that day in the relegation zone since Manchester United lost to Wigan in April 2012, with the top team winning 21 and drawing four since then.
     
  • No side has been trailing for longer in Premier League matches than Stoke this season (9 hours, 10 minutes), while Man City have been in front for a league-high 22 hours and 23 minutes.
     
  • Manchester City have scored 83 goals already this season. Only 13 clubs have ever scored more in a complete Premier League campaign.

TV COVERAGE & KICK-OFF TIME


Kick off is 20:00 GMT (15:00 ET) on Monday, March 12, and will be shown on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. It will be shown on NBC in the United States, and on various channels around the world.

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