Pep Guardiola has revealed the reason why Kevin De Bruyne has been left out of Manchester City's squad for their huge clash against Fulham.
City will go top if they beat Fulham at Craven Cottage but will have to do it without De Bruyne after he was surprisingly absent from their match-day squad. The Belgian playmaker was named player of the match as City thumped title rivals Arsenal 4-1 on Wednesday.
He found the back of the net twice and also chipped in with an assist, but Guardiola revealed De Bruyne was not fully fit after picking up a knock. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the game, Guardiola said: "He doesn't feel good. He has some injury and could not travel."
And when asked if City knew when he might be back, Guardiola replied: "No, I don't know" De Bruyne is not the only change Guardiola has made from the team which beat Arsenal, with Bernardo Silva dropping to the bench.
Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez have been named as their replacements. Despite their win over the Gunners putting City in pole position to retain the Premier League title, Guardiola has been quick to play down suggestions the game has already decided the title race.
"People say it's over - it's not over," he insisted. "There are still seven games left and we take nothing for granted. I know Mikel [Arteta] perfectly and his players will not give up.
"We are respectful for the teams we have to play and we have to beat them. What happened to Arsenal [drawing three and losing one] can happen to us. You can drop points and we have to be aware of that."
And the City boss is wary of Fulham's potential to spring an upset, with Marco Silva's side enjoying an excellent first season back in the Premier League. "It's a special stadium, against an organised team," Guardiola added.
"They are exceptional in how they play so we have to be intense, aggressive and try to attack as well as possible. If we do our job, we will be closer."
