Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola delivers an update on the fitness of Claudio Echeverri and Rodri ahead of Thursday’s FIFA Club World Cup clash against Juventus.Pep Guardiola has delivered an update on the fitness of Claudio Echeverri ahead of Manchester City’s Group G top-spot decider against Juventus at the FIFA Club World Cup on Thursday.Echeverri scored his first goal for the Citizens – a superb free kick just before the half-hour mark – in a thumping 6-0 win over Al-Ain on Monday.However, the January arrival from River Plate was forced off at half time with a twisted ankle and was later pictured on crutches wearing a protective boot.The 19-year-old attacker is now likely to miss the rest of the Club World Cup as Guardiola has confirmed that he could face up to three weeks on the sidelines.Speaking at a press conference ahead of the contest at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, the Catalan coach said: “He has some problems with his ankle. It will be two or three weeks out unfortunately, I feel so sorry for him, for all of us.“We’re going to play new players in the next game, and in the second half too, I make the selection tomorrow, the lineup, thinking of the second half.“With these conditions we’re not ready to play in the rhythm we’re playing for 90 minutes. Hopefully we can make more substitutions but it’s fine.”Guardiola delivers Rodri start verdict before Juventus clashGuardiola was also asked about the availability of star midfielder Rodri and whether he would be ready to start his first game for Man City in more than nine months since recovering from an ACL injury suffered back in September last year.The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner has made two 30-minute substitute appearance in City’s opening two Group G fixtures and Guardiola has suggested that the Spaniard is again likely to feature later in the game on Thursday, rather than from the start, due in part to the sweltering conditions in Orlando.“The heat is obvious; we can’t change it,” said Guardiola. “It’s better to play in the other stadium we played in [Mercedes-Benz Stadium] – that was fantastic, but I think all the teams have to handle it.“It is what it is, with the next World Cup people know it already. We have to be ready to suffer and Rodri, yeah he can play, of course not for 90 minutes but the last 30 or 35 minutes.“He’s been making a step forward in the last three or four days. He didn’t have some problems and niggles, you sometimes have. We’re happy we could add minutes to him. Everyone’s complaining about the weather, but it is what it is.“It’s hot and the humidity is difficult for everyone, that’s why the speed, for example our rhythm in the last game was higher than the first game, because it was so hot at 12pm. It was so hard, I would say it depends on that.”Nico Gonzalez, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan were all handed starts in midfield last time out, the latter scored a brace, and they could retain their spots against Juventus, while summer signing Tijjani Reijnders is in contention to earn a recall.Guardiola disappointed by Lewis three-match banMeanwhile, Guardiola has expressed his disappointment over FIFA’s decision to extend Rico Lewis’s ban to three matches following his controversial red card for an accidental high boot into the face on a Wydad AC opponent on matchday one.After sitting out of the win over Al-Ain, Lewis will serve the second of his three-game suspension on Thursday and will also miss Man City’s last-16 clash.“I didn’t have the honour to talk [with Chairman of FIFA Referee’s Committee Pierluigi Collina] so whether it’s two or three [games]… I’m pretty sure the referees don’t know Rico,” said Guardiola.“He’s the sweetest and kindest and sometimes as a defender I say he needs to be more aggressive. It’s an action without intention.“I know what the image can pretend to be but both are on the floor. The action, I know it can be tough but it’s Rico Lewis.“I can imagine what happened with the other type of players, but it is what it is. They make three games, he has more time to rest and more time to be on the beach.“He can be with his girlfriend then will hopefully be back if we go through in the next games and during the season.“I know Rico and it’s never his intention to hurt anyone. The history of him is there, but if they want to show how serious they are then okay, accept the three games and move forward.”Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov and Manuel Akanji are all options at Guardiola’s disposal who could be deployed at right-back against Juventus in the absence of Lewis.ID:576214:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6939: No Data Analysis info

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