Pep Guardiola has revealed why Kevin De Bruyne did not feature in Manchester City's win over Brentford.

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• De Bruyne was unused substitute against Brentford
• Guardiola reveals why De Bruyne was rested
• Man City one point behind Liverpool now

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The star midfielder was an unused substitute in Manchester City's narrow 1-0 win over Brentford on Tuesday in the Premier League – with Erling Haaland's 71st-minute strike proving to be the difference between the two sides. After the match, Guardiola explained that De Bruyne had a niggle in his hamstring and was rested in the midweek clash as a precautionary measure.

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• WHAT PEP GUARDIOLA SAID

  Speaking at his post-match press conference, the Cityzens boss said: "He has niggles in his hamstring area and I didn't want to take any risk with him. He's OK, he's OK, it was more about prevention. He said he didn't feel comfortable and the doctors said not to take a risk."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 32-year-old missed the first half of the season after suffering a hamstring injury during City's Premier League opener against Burnley in August. He returned to action in the new year in an FA Cup third-round clash against Huddersfield. Since coming back from his injury, the Belgian has provided four assists in the five Premier League games he has played.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  With the win over The Bees, the reigning champions reduced the gap to current league leaders Liverpool to just a single a point. City will next face Bournemouth on Saturday, and a win will take them back to the summit with Liverpool set to be busy on Carabao Cup final duty.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News