Jeremy Doku tops Man City absentees as Guardiola faces selection headache before Leeds test

Manchester City will travel to Elland Road without several influential names, with Jeremy Doku headlining a four-man injury list ahead of this weekend’s Premier League meeting with Leeds United.

Pep Guardiola’s side enter the fixture under pressure to maintain momentum in the title race, knowing victory could significantly reduce Arsenal’s advantage at the summit.

City currently trail the league leaders by five points, but with Arsenal not in action until later in the weekend, City have an opportunity to temporarily close the gap and apply psychological pressure.

Team selection, however, remains complicated. Defensive concerns persist with Josko Gvardiol ruled out through calf, shin and heel problems, while Max Alleyne is also unavailable.

Guardiola is expected to reshuffle his back line, relying on Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi, Nico O’Reilly and Rayan Ait-Nouri to stabilise a defence tasked with maintaining City’s strong record against newly-promoted opposition.

The greater concern lies further forward, where Doku’s absence removes one of City’s most explosive attacking outlets. The Belgian winger has been sidelined with a calf-related issue, while midfielder Mateo Kovacic also misses out due to ankle and foot complications.

Providing an update on Doku’s recovery, Guardiola admitted uncertainty over the player’s immediate return. “Yesterday he made the first training,” the City manager said. “I don’t know (when he could be back), we’ll talk with the doctors and officials afterwards.”

Despite the injury setbacks, City will still approach the contest with confidence. Historically dominant against promoted sides, Guardiola’s men have conceded two or more goals in only three of their 52 Premier League encounters against such opponents, underlining their consistency in fixtures widely viewed as routine assignments.