Pep Guardiola Issues Ederson Injury Update as Chelsea Come to Town

Manchester City are likely to have Ederson back between the sticks for Saturday evening’s clash with Chelsea, with Pep Guardiola confirming the goalkeeper has trained as normal this week.

City have been without the Brazilian stopper since he was withdrawn at half-time in their Champions League win over Atalanta at San Siro on 6 November.

The hamstring injury that forced his premature departure from that one – which led to Claudio Bravo and then later Kyle Walker taking turns in goal after the former’s red card – kept Ederson out of the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool prior to the international break.

He didn’t travel with Brazil for their clashes with Argentina and South Korea either, but Guardiola has confirmed his comeback should give them a much-needed boost against Chelsea – although long-term absentees Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sané are still some way off their respective returns.

“Ederson is back,” Guardiola said, as quoted by the Mail. “He trained the last two days without pain.

“But Laporte and Sané are injured for two or three more months. It’s the same situation. The players who finished fit, the injuries are still out.”

City take on Chelsea looking to claw their way back up the table after slipping to fourth with defeat at Anfield, as both the Blues and Leicester notched wins that saw them leapfrog the defending champions.

The Foxes sit in second at present, eight points behind Liverpool and ahead of Chelsea only on goal difference, while City sit a point behind both sides and nine off the pace in their bid to reclaim the title.

A victory at the Etihad would go some way to restoring their damaged title prospects, and having Ederson back in the picture will greatly increase their chances of attaining that – even if their other absentees will remain out for the time being.

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