Injury problems for Man City! Mateo Kovacic joins Erling Haaland on the sidelines after withdrawing from Croatia squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers

According to The Athletic, the midfielder is staring at another setback with a recurring quad injury, that will sideline him for an estimated two to three weeks. The Croatian withdrew from Euro 2024 qualifiers against Latvia and Armenia after featuring from the bench in City's 4-4 draw with Chelsea. Zlatko Dalic, Croatia's coach, mentioned that Kovacic has a muscle issue which prompted him to stay back in England. The 29-year-old suffered a similar injury back in September which forced him to miss three matches over a two-week period.

Several City players, including Nathan Ake, Ederson, and Matheus Nunes, have withdrawn from international duty due to injuries. Ake has a knock which forced him to sit out the Chelsea and subsequently refrained from joining the Netherlands team. Whereas, Ederson picked up a foot problem against Chelsea which was confirmed by Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar. Meanwhile, Nunes was "declared clinically unfit" by Portugal with a muscular injury.

City have been already sweating over the fitness issues of Kevin de Bruyne and Haaland. The Belgian remains a long-term absentee, recovering from a hamstring injury while the striker sustained an ankle injury during Norway's recent match against Faroe Islands. There is no timeframe for De Bruyne's return but it has been assured that Haaland's injury is "not serious."

As City navigate a tough schedule, including games against Liverpool, RB Leipzig, Tottenham Hotspur, and Aston Villa, the focus shifts to how Guardiola manages the team's resources amid the injury crisis.