Manchester City take on Everton in the Premier League on Sunday and Kevin De Bruyne is going to be an absentee for this encounter.
The Belgian has tested positive for COVID which is why he is currently self-isolating, as confirmed by his manager on Friday.
Guardiola told the press: “Unfortunately, Kevin got positive from COVID in Belgium and will be isolating for 10 days.”
Pep announces Kevin De Bruyne received a positive COVID-19 test while in Belgium and needs to quarantine for 10 days.
City’s games in the next 10 days:
▪️ vs. Everton
▪️ vs. PSG
▪️ vs. West Ham pic.twitter.com/XOv11HmnrI— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 19, 2021
This is a major setback for Man City since the player is not set to miss not only the Everton clash but also the game vs PSG in midweek and then possibly the league encounter against West Ham United next weekend.
Will Kevin De Bruyne be missed by Manchester City?
Man City are currently second on the Premier League table and to be brutally honest, they have achieved this feat mostly without Kevin De Bruyne.
The playmaker has featured in eight Premier League matches this season but he’s yet to provide an assist in the 453 minutes of football he’s played. Yes, he has helped link up play really well(just like always) but apart from the two goals he’s scored, the Belgian does not have any direct goal involvements.
Everton are not in great form right now so we expect Man City to pick up all three points on Sunday but when it comes to PSG and West Ham United, Kevin De Bruyne could be badly missed.
City are just one point ahead of PSG in their UCL group meaning if they lose next week then they slip down to the second spot. And they will have the same sort of fear when they face the Hammers next weekend.
Everton have not picked up a win in their previous five league outings but both PSG and West Ham are in prime form right now so someone like Kevin De Bruyne would have been the ideal player to unlock their defences.
But now that the 30-year-old is out, Bernardo Silva is likely to come back into midfield partnering Gundogan and Rodri while Mahrez or Gabriel Jesus occupies the right flank.
