UCL: Guardiola tips Toure for ‘Steaua battle’
Pep Guardiola could select Yaya Toure for the first time in a competitive match when Manchester City take on Steaua Bucharest in the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
City lead 5-0 from the first leg of their play-off and Guardiola is expected to rotate his squad for the return fixture at the Etihad Stadium.
Toure, who was not always in favour with Guardiola during their time at Barcelona, is yet to feature for City this season, but the Spaniard suggested that could change today.
“Joe Hart and Yaya Toure have a chance to play today,” Guardiola said at a media conference.
“We had 28 players in the training session. It’s difficult for me to leave players who deserve to play out.
“We’ve played tough games in the last week. I will make some rotations with the players.
“I like to play with a short squad with three, four or five players who are multi-functional. That won’t happen because we have a huge squad with long contracts.
“Also the Premier League has a much more physical game.”
Guardiola revealed that Bacary Sagna would not return before the Manchester derby against United onSeptember 10, while Ilkay Gundogan and Vincent Kompany will be unavailable for at least another 10 days.
Despite their more-than-healthy first-leg advantage over Steaua, Guardiola insisted City would not take the Romanian side lightly.
