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John Stones could return from injury in time to play title rivals Liverpool at Anfield, though the Manchester City defender faces missing his side’s next nine games.
Pep Guardiola confirmed on Tuesday that Stones had suffered a muscle problem in training which will put him out of contention for between four and six weeks.
City are already without Stones’ fellow central defender Aymeric Laporte, meaning that Nicolas Otamendi is Guardiola’s only fit and established option in the position.
Fernandinho is expected to slot in alongside Otamendi in Stones’ absence, while academy youngsters Eric Garcia and Taylor Harwood-Bellis will provide cover.
If unavailable for six weeks, Stones will miss City’s first three Champions League group games. Guardiola’s side open their Group C campaign away to Shakhtar Donetsk tomorrow, before Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta visit Manchester next month.
Show all 23 1 /2322 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League 22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League 22 under 22: The young players who could light up this year's Champions League
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chelsea Though Chelsea have plenty of options in wide areas, there will be pressure from Blues fans on Frank Lampard, as there was on Maurizio Sarri, to play Hudson-Odoi consistently. He impressed in last year’s Europa League, and combines unpredictability in 1-v-1 situations with a useful end product to make him a daunting prospect to face.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Renan Lodi, Atletico Madrid Replacing Filipe Luis at Atletico Madrid will be a tough task for Renan Lodi, but the Brazilian is Atletico’s only natural left-back and will therefore be integral for Diego Simeone this season. Lodi is a typical marauding Brazilian full-back, and is a keen crosser of the ball which suits Atletico’s style of play.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Eljif Elmas, Napoli The Macedonian is an eager midfielder, to say the least. Elmas distributes the ball well and is usually on the move shortly after, and has displayed a keen appetite for winning the ball back. Signed from Fenerbahce this summer, he has impressed in his short time with Napoli as a player who is always happy to take possession of the ball.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Colin Dagba, PSG PSG are not typically associated with blooding through their own young talent, with many academy prospects often being sold rather than nurtured. Dagba has escaped such a fate, and established himself as first-choice right-back under Thomas Tuchel, keeping three clean sheets in his three starts this season.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Matthijs de Ligt, Juventus The Dutchman already seems like a generational talent and was immense in Ajax’s run to the semi-finals last year. He will be under a microscope at Juventus, especially with Giorgio Chiellini injured, but has already shown incredible leadership qualities and the ability to bounce back from a rocky debut as he did with the Netherlands.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Ferran Torres, Valencia Valencia’s young winger is a first-team regular, despite being just 19. The Spaniard operates predominantly from the right-hand side of midfield as an old-school type of winger - stay wide, beat a man, cross the ball - but is also comfortable taking up positions across the attacking third.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Rodrygo, Real Madrid The 18-year-old is one of the world's brightest young talents and capable of becoming a prolific goalscorer
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool The Englishman’s technical abilities are virtually unparalleled as a full-back, and many argue that he is already the best right-back in the world. In order to ratify such claims, Alexander-Arnold will have to help improve Liverpool’s group stage away record from last year when they lost against PSG, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade, only just qualifying.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid With Real Madrid’s relatively small and injury hit squad, there is an expectation that Vinicius Jr will get chances to impress, particularly in games against Club Brugge and Galatasaray. The Brazilian has bags of flair and ability, but does need to work on his goal output before he can be considered as a more than a prospect.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Victor Osimhen, Lille The Nigerian striker was signed with some of the fee Lille received for Nicholas Pepe, and looks to be a good investment with five goals in as many games in Ligue 1. Osimhen has shown he can handle the pressure of filling another’s shoes, and will be seeking to impress as Lille’s main man.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Lisandro Martinez, Ajax One of two defenders signed to replace Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez has hit the ground running at Ajax, who themselves will be looking to take advantage of a group without a clear favourite (Chelsea, Valencia, Lille). Martinez’s efforts from the back are sure to be crucial in any Champions League success they have.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Florentino Luis, Benfica Benfica are synonymous with producing talented players, and Florentino Luis appears to be the latest prospect from Lisbon. The midfielder reads the game exceptionally well, and it is not uncommon to see him slide in to intercept a pass. He is a deft tackler, but is not without technique and is more than capable of playing around a pressing opponent
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Reece James, Chelsea After a very successful campaign with Wigan, the Chelsea full-back’s stock seems to have risen substantially this season, despite not playing a game due to injury. Cesar Azpilicueta has not played well and has looked like a player who has played 205 games in four seasons, with James likely to be given minutes in the Champions League in order to give the club captain a much-needed rest.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Houssem Aouar, Lyon Aouar has a wonderful ability of carrying the ball into the final third, and is also capable of operating in tight spaces in and around the box. The composed midfielder has established himself as one of Lyon’s most important players in recent years, and is another who may move on next season.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Ibrahima Konate, RB Leipzig The French defender is a towering presence at the heart of the Leipzig defence. With the German club handed a group they should back themselves to qualify from (Lyon, Zenit and Benfica), it is likely we will see Konate test himself in the latter stages of the competition as well.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Ansu Fati, Barcelona Given his performances thus far for Barcelona, it seems inconceivable that Ansu Fati is just 16. The Barcelona shirt does not seem to weigh him down at all - he plays with a freedom and unpredictability that is extremely refreshing and is sure to get him further opportunities to impress this season.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Tete, Shakhtar Donetsk The latest in Shakhtar’s production line of young Brazilians, Tete joined the club from Gremio in February. The skillful winger has impressed in his short time at the club, and is capable of causing real problems from the right-hand side.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Kai Havertz, Bayer Leverkusen Although he is only 20, Havertz has made over 100 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen. Last season in the Bundesliga he established himself as a goal-scoring midfielder, scoring 17 times. This season’s Champions League campaign is the chance for Havertz to further showcase his ability to Europe’s elite - with the expectation that he will leave Leverkusen at the end of this season.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Mason Mount, Chelsea It is a rarity to see players transition from the Championship to the Premier League so easily, but Mount has taken to the Chelsea first team like a duck to water. The Englishman’s game intelligence is astounding at such a young age, and will suit the demands of Champions League football.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Dani Olmo, Dinamo Zagreb Dani Olmo starred for Spain at the under 21 Euros during the summer, and surprisingly was not snapped up from Dinamo Zagreb. He moved to Croatia from Barcelona’s La Masia academy back in 2014 and has not looked back, winning the league’s player of the year last season. The attacking midfielder will have plenty of opportunities to impress and potentially qualify, with Zagreb fighting Atalanta and Shakhtar Donetsk for second place behind Manchester City.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Jadon Sancho, Borussia Dortmund Sancho’s talents are well-established but he should not be satisfied with just being a recognised player. This season’s Champions League, when Dortmund face Barcelona and Inter Milan, is the perfect stage for him to show he can cope with the pressure of expectation and be talked about in the elite bracket of players by leading by example.
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22 under 22: The young stars to watch in the 2019/20 Champions League Joao Felix, Atletico Madrid At the age of just 19, Joao Felix has the weighty expectations of Atletico Madrid fans upon his shoulders. His abilities with the ball are immense, but is another who will be looking to prove that they can make the step up and perform under intense scrutiny.
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Domestically, City face Premier League home matches against Watford, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa during Stones’s layoff, as well as travelling away to Everton and Crystal Palace. City also play Preston North End away next week in the EFL Cup.
Stones will target a home league meeting with Southampton on 2 November as a potential comeback. City play Atalanta at the San Siro four days later, with the trip to Anfield on the following weekend.
City’s next nine fixtures 18/09 Shakhtar (A)
21/09 Watford (H)
24/09 Preston (A)
28/09 Everton (A)
01/10 Dinamo Zagreb (H)
06/10 Wolves (H)
19/10 Crystal Palace (A)
22/10 Atalanta (H)
26/10 Aston Vila (H)
“It’s a challenge,” Guardiola admitted on Tuesday. “They will do it and do it well because my players are the best. We play with ‘Dinho, or Eric or Taylor. I will create something. That is what it is.
“Football is not how you handle the good situations. It’s how you handle the bad ones. This team has done it in the past. When we won the last two seasons seven titles, nobody gave us anything. We won for ourselves and we are going to do it again.
“The perfect ideal situation does not exist, it’s how you approach these ones. I am ready for the challenge. I like it, I like to live this situation.”
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