Man City's Gvardiol doubtful for Madrid visit

Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol was replaced at half-time in Manchester City's game against Crystal Palace three days before they face Madrid in the Champions League with a "slight physical problem", adding to Guardiola's doubts in a defence that is still without Walker and Ake.

"Josko has a slight physical problem. We will see who is available on Tuesday against Madrid," the Spaniard told 'TNT Sports' after replacing his player at half-time.

He did so with a yellow card that suggested it was a precaution, in a match that went into the break level at half-time before the visitors' big win.

"The difference is because we have more injured players than last season," Guardiola told a news conference when asked about the European reunion with Madrid. "We don't have Kyle (Walker) and Nathan (Ake) and that means the players don't have time to recover."

"We are going to try, but it is difficult in all three competitions in my experience. To get to the finals you need the whole squad. There is almost no chance if you don't have everyone fresh. You can make it with a bit of time, but not by playing a game every three days. A human being can't hold that for long," he lamented.