Pep Guardiola relying on John Stones for Champions League “final”
Pep Guardiola relying on John Stones for Champions League “final”
Share:
City are on the verge of an early exit from Europe’s top competition and must defeat Club Brugge in their final match of the league phase to make it into the playoff round. Pep Guardiola has told John Stones that, unless he “promises” he cannot play, he has to start Manchester City’s “final” against Club Brugge on Wednesday and spare them from the embarrassment of an early Champions League exit.
![[City are short of centre-back options and Stones is required despite not being fully fit]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/26/13/56/GettyImages-2172013991.jpeg)
England international Stones has not begun a game since December’s defeat to Aston Villa but Guardiola is relying on him to rescue City's European campaign. He held Stones back in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Chelsea, using the 30-year-old as a second-half substitute and admitting that he should not have played debutant Abdudokir Khusanov, who was at fault for Noni Madueke’s third-minute opener.
But Khusanov and fellow new signing Vitor Reis are ineligible on Wednesday while Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake remain injured, leaving Guardiola depending on Stones and telling him that, if he is not fit, he will have to “invent” a left-back so Josko Gvardiol can move into the middle of the defence.
Stones has had to come off at half-time in his last two starts and has not completed a game since October. But Guardiola said: “Listen, he has to play – unless he says to me that he promises he cannot play. And after that, Josko will be central defender and I will invent and think of who plays full back.”.
