Pep Guardiola set to make telling Man City squad decision for Palermo friendly

Pep Guardiola set to make telling Man City squad decision for Palermo friendly

Manchester City travel to Palermo for their final pre-season friendly but Pep Guardiola isn't likely to take as many players as he could

Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola is not expected to take all of his Manchester City players to Palermo as he looks to finalise preparations for the new season. The Blues take on the Sicilian side on Saturday evening in their final friendly before heading to Molineux a week later for the start of their Premier League campaign.

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Given that the game is against a fellow City Football Group club and being broadcast on City's own channels, the Blues can treat the game however they like. They have decided to treat the trip like a Champions League away fixture.

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That means an afternoon flight on the day before the game after training in Manchester, with Pep Guardiola and a player then speaking to media at the stadium. It also means taking a squad of players, which is likely to be announced on Friday.

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Jack Grealish, who Everton have contacted City over this week, was left out of the Club World Cup squad in order to prioritise a move and could be left out against Palermo even if he has not agreed a departure. James McAtee is another who could be left at home, despite training with the group in Manchester, as well as Claudio Echeverri and Stefan Ortega.

There is a decision to be made on Rodri given his fitness plan to be ready for the Wolves game and Nico O'Reilly was absent from training this week with a minor problem, while there could also be other omissions that point towards potential exits.

Guardiola has said on a number of occasions that he cannot work with such a big squad and that was shown during a training session put on this week at the City Football Academy that was open to fans. An attacking drill that formed a significant part of the session left five players kicking their heels in the other half of the pitch as there were too many players for the routine.

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Kalvin Phillips and Mateo Kovacic remain sidelined after undergoing surgery in the summer and will not travel to Italy. Phillips will not be part of Guardiola's plans for the season but Kovacic is expected to be.

City take on Wolves next Saturday at 5.30pm as they look to get their Premier League crown back from Liverpool.

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