Manchester City will be able to count on the services of Riyad Mahrez for Sunday’s Community Shield tie against Chelsea, Sky Blues manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed.
The Algerian winger injured his ankle during City’s pre-season clash with Bayern Munich last week and the fact that he crumpled in a heap had many fans fearing the worst.
However, it appears the injury looked worse than it actually was as Pep revealed that the £60 million wideman has already rejoined first-team training.
“Mahrez is good. He had a little bit of pain but he trained day before yesterday – I think so (he can play on Sunday),” Guardiola told his pre-match presser on Friday.
Guardiola will now have a near-full squad to choose from as all his players have returned from their summer holidays, save two.
“Kevin (De Bruyne) and (Raheem) Sterling are not here but they will be back after the game on Sunday. From Monday we will be back all together and think about what we have to do to keep last season’s level,” the City manager added.
Considering Chelsea will also be without Thibaut Courtois, N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard, it’s pretty much an even field for both sides.
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Sunday’s clash is an highly-anticipated one as it pits Maurizio Sarri and Guardiola against each other for the first time since the Italian manager has taken charge in West London.
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Ahead of the 2018/19 Premier League season, City are once again favourites for the title. They are bidding to become the first side in a decade to retain the championship.
Guardiola’s men begin their title defence with an an away trip to Arsenal on August 12.