Manchester City have been dealt a significant blow with the news that winger Jeremy Doku is likely to miss the entire festive fixture schedule due to injury.
Doku Ruled Out for Key Matches
The Belgian international, who has been in impressive form this season, missed Sunday's victory over Crystal Palace with a leg problem. Manager Pep Guardiola has now confirmed the player will also be absent for the upcoming Premier League matches against West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.
The club is holding out hope that Doku could return for the trip to Sunderland on New Year's Day. His absence is compounded by the departure of forward Omar Marmoush, who has joined up with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Guardiola's Cup Plans and Squad Rotation
With a busy schedule, Guardiola is preparing to shuffle his pack for Wednesday's Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Brentford at the Etihad Stadium. He confirmed that all players who did not feature against Palace will be involved, alongside some academy prospects who have been training regularly with the first team, such as Reigan Heskey, Stephen Mfuni, and Kaden Braithwaite.
However, the City boss emphasised the greater importance of the league encounter with West Ham. "The really important game is West Ham," Guardiola stated. "After West Ham, we have seven days to recover, but West Ham... I'm sorry, it is very, very important."
Midfielder Rodri and defender John Stones will also miss the Brentford cup tie.
Goalkeeper Situation and a Lesson Learned
Goalkeeper James Trafford is in line to start against Brentford. Despite reported interest from other clubs ahead of the World Cup, Guardiola insisted he wants to keep his number two at the club this month. "He is with us and he will be with us this season and then we will see what happens," the manager said.
Reflecting on Trafford's last start – a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen where Guardiola made ten changes – the Catalan identified a key tactical error. "The problem against Leverkusen was not having a father figure on the field," he explained. "Some players – by age or by the process – don't say: 'No matter what happens'. But other players make their teammates think: 'I am safe'. I have to find that. It's a lesson I've learned: you have to find that balance."
