Man City injury list: Players out, potential return dates, predicted lineup for next game vs. Wolves

1 week agoLast Updated: 24 January، 2026

Bottom-of-the-table Wolves heading to the Etihad Stadium would have felt like a formality as little as a week ago.

However, crushing defeats at Manchester United and Bodo/Glimt have lurched Manchester City’s season into flux.

Pep Guardiola’s side must get on track against Wolves to put pressure on Arsenal head of the Premier League leaders’ own meeting with United this weekend. Defeat in Bodo has also taken a top-eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League out of City’s hands as they prepare to welcome Galatasaray to Manchester next week.

Injuries, most notably in defence, have played a huge part in City’s January malaise. Marc Guehi making his debut after the his £20m switch from Crystal Palace will go some way to remedying those problems.

Here’s how the rest of the injury picture is shaping up in east Manchester.

MORE: Man City embarrassed by Bodo/Glimt: Why Champions League loss might be their worst game under Pep Guardiola

Man City injury list

Below is the latest injury picture for Manchester City, and estimated return dates for those who are sidelined.

Matheus Nunes

Injury: Virus
Expected return date: January 28 (vs. Galatasaray)

Nunes was sat out the Manchester derby with a bout of flu and his absence was keenly felt. The Portugal international was not well enough to travel to Bodo and Guardiola was unsure whether he would be able to return for the visit of his former club Wolves.

Nico Gonzalez

Injury: Dead leg
Expected return date: January 28 (vs. Galatasaray)

Nico has not featured since he suffered “an incredible knock” during the 1-1 draw with Brighton on January 7. He was assessed prior to the United and Bodo/Glimt games and Guardiola told his pre-match news conference that the former Barcelona and Porto midfielder was unlikely to return this weekend

Josko Gvardiol

Injury: Tibia fracture
Expected return date: May/June

Man City suffered a brutal blow in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea, as the opening match of 2026 brought with it terrible news. Defender Gvardiol, who has been a pillar of consistency for City in recent seasons, went down in the second half with a tibia fracture, confirmed by the club the following day.

City confirmed that Gvardiol underwent surgery for the broken leg. While there is very little known at this point about a potential timeline for Gvardiol’s return, it is believed to require a long-term recovery, and it’s possible he will miss the remainder of the 2025/26 season.

Ruben Dias

Injury: Hamstring
Expected return date: February

Josko Gvardiol wasn’t the only casualty of the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on January 4, as Dias also found himself withdrawn before full-time. Guardiola said he was facing between four and six weeks out of action.

Savinho

Injury: Undisclosed
Expected return date: February/March

Guardiola said the injury to Savinho “does not look good” after the winger had to exit early in the draw at Sunderland. After the Brighton game, Guardiola said the timeline for the Brazil winger was between one and a half to two months.

Oscar Bobb

Injury: Hamstring
Expected return date: February

Bobb started the season as City’s first choice on the right wing but has fallen from favour. A chance to enjoy some game time in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal against Brentford was curtailed by a hamstring injury. It’s not expected he will be back until the end of the month, and even then, there is speculation he could leave before the transfer window closes.

Ahead of the game against Bodo/Glimt, Guardiola was asked about Bobb’s prognosis and tersely replied: “I don’t know, I have no idea. He says he’s not fit, so he’s not fit.”

John Stones

Injury: Thigh
Expected return date: February

England defender Stones has been peripheral in the Premier League this season but had started four of five Champions League matches prior to the trip to Real Madrid in December.

He came on in midfield during the unhinged 5-4 win at Fulham on December 2 and has not featured since. Stones is nursing an unspecified leg injury and was expected to return at some stage during the festive fixtures, but Guardiola said on January 6 that he has “no idea” when Stones will be back.

Mateo Kovacic

Injury: Heel/ankle
Expected return date: February/March 2026

Croatia midfielder Kovacic underwent Achilles surgery over the summer but has suffered a serious setback.

After the 3-1 win over Bournemouth on November 2, Guardiola said the former Chelsea player would be “out for a while”.

“He still has a problem with the ankle, a little calcification still there. We’ll wait on him for the last part of the season,” the City boss added. Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti confirmed the news and said Kovacic’s recovery was likely to take three to four months.

Man City predicted lineup vs. Wolves

Formation: 4-1-4-1

Donnarumma (GK)

Lewis, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly

Rodri

Cherki, Foden, Silva, Semenyo

Haaland

Man City fixture schedule: Next five games

City have their crunch Champions League clash with Galatasaray up next. Notoriously tricky trips to Tottenham and Liverpool sandwich the second leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal against Newcastle. Guardiola’s men hold a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.