Phil Foden MIA as Manchester City prepare to clash with PSG

Foden missing for crucial group stage clash

The top spot in Group A is up for grabs tonight in the Champions League as Premier League holders Manchester City host French giants Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium with just a single point separating the two star-studded sides, but Pep Guardiola will be without the services of England starlet Phil Foden for the crucial tie.

Via City’s official website, Foden is not deemed to be fully fit for selection tonight, and not only has he failed to make the matchday XI but misses out altogether as he was not named among the substitutes available to Guardiola on the night.

Foden is said to still be feeling the effects of the knock he picked up when City comfortably saw off Everton 3-0 on Sunday at home, a fixture that Foden started in but was removed on 58-minutes.

His failure to make the squad is not thought to be of serious concern, however, with any knock he sustained said to be minor according to MEN’s Chief Manchester City writer Stuart Brennan.

Here’s what the tactical team sheet makes of that #mcfc line up pic.twitter.com/egPSGSUhfC

— Stuart Brennan (@StuBrennanMEN) November 24, 2021

With Foden out of contention for selection, a front-three of Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, and Riyad Mahrez was called upon by Pep, with Silva being deployed in what is presumed to be a false nine role.

Vital three points up for grabs at the Etihad

With Man City topping Group A but holding on to a slender 1-point lead over PSG, tonight’s result is vital if either side looks to arrest full control of the group.

PSG defeated City in Paris 2-0 on matchday two, meaning that unless Pep’s side must win outright to take a four-point lead into the final matchday, and thus, guarantee their place as group winners as they move into the knockout stage.

Should the Parisian outfit earn a point, their passage into the next round would be largely contingent on how Club Brugge gets on in Belgium tonight against Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig; a side they beat 2-1 earlier in the group stage.

If Brugge wins while PSG fails to do so, it would set up a scenario that could see PSG ousted from the competition on matchday six if the Belgian side perpetrated an upset in the French capital.

As for City, who defeated Brugge on both occasions, a draw would hardly be the end of the world but they would not be guaranteed top spot and would have to hope for tonight’s opponents to stutter on the final day.

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This article was edited by
Ben Browning.