Pep Guardiola has been given a huge injury boost ahead of Manchester City’s game against Borussia Dortmund tonight, with John Stones and Aymeric Laporte both fit enough to be named to the 21-man squad.
Both Stones and Laporte have been injured this season, and City has had their fair share of absentees, which has gone unnoticed due to their ruthless winning streak.
Due to a hamstring injury, England international Stones has only made seven appearances for City this season.
Meanwhile, Laporte has fared even worse, appearing in just four games since undergoing knee surgery over the summer.
Despite their lack of playing time for the Citizens this season, the duo is fit enough to be named to the 21-man squad that will face Erling Haaland’s former club, Borussia Dortmund, in the Champions League tonight.
The defensive duo has overcome their respective setbacks at just the right time amid the condensed fixture schedule ahead of the World Cup, which is just around the corner, according to the official Manchester City website.
Featuring in their last game against Brighton & Hove Albion, Laporte was thrown into the deep end upon his return, facing the in-form side in what was his third full start in all competitions since returning from his spell on the sidelines.
His minutes have been carefully managed and having got through the recent spell of fixtures, he will build on his previous two Champions League outings against FC Copenhagen, which resulted in two clean sheets.
Stones was on the bench for the 3-1 win against Roberto De Zerbi’s side, with his inclusion in the squad coming as more of a shock due to the fact that he has not played for the side in over a month.
It remains to be seen how many minutes the pair will be granted this evening, but their inclusion in the latest squad is very promising for their stability after overcoming their respective injuries.
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