He started in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Southampton earlier today, but the home fans feared the worst when the Argentine was seen holding his ankle and was subsequently taken off to be replaced by Wilfried Bony after the hour mark.
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Silva said this week he is looking forward to playing with de Bruyne, ad the feeling is mutual.
Juventus, who deployed a 3-5-2 amid injury concerns of their own, survived an early scare when Fernandinho fired just wide of Gianluigi Buffon’s post after Kevin De Bruyne fire a cross into the area from the right.
“Football has ups and downs but we’ve got more than enough quality in the locker to bounce back from hard weeks”.
Southampton were much-improved in the second half and pulled one back when Shane Long’s towering header made the most of Mane’s excellent cross, but a double save at a crucial moment by stand-in keeper Willy Caballero protected City’s lead.
Aguero is expected to return to the starting 11, but even if he plays from the first minute, it is unlikely for him to play the entire match. They face a wait to find out if first-choice goalkeeper Hart will recover in time to play, while defenders Zabaleta and Mangala both face late fitness tests. We play nearly at the same position but we are very different players. City’s 1-0 midweek Champions League loss at Juventus, coupled with an injury spate, leaves the hosts desperate to claw back some form – but by no means panicking, according to Koeman.
While Pellegrini took precautionary measures by substituting Aguero in the 64th minute, Guardiola was also guarded on Saturday.
Silva made a return from injury for City in the club’s win over Southampton at the weekend, and De Bryune has suggested that the pair could cause real problems as they begin to develop a deeper understanding on the pitch.
City’s shock 4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool last Saturday saw them surrender the lead in the title race, with manager Manuel Pellegrini admitting the performance had been the worst he had seen since his arrival at Eastlands two-and-a-half years ago.
De Bruyne and Silva have started only twice together for City, the 2-1 victory at Borussia Mönchengladbach and the 6-1 trouncing of Newcastle United in October, the game in which Silva was injured. They’re full of quality but it’s a game for us to relish. “Graziano’s the top-scorer in the team, but last season we played without him at Chelsea away and had a good result”, said Koeman.
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“You just need to go on and to win the next game”.
