Pep Guardiola has admitted he is unsure whether Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish will be fit for the FA Cup final against Manchester United next weekend. The City duo, as well as Ruben Dias, missed the 1-0 defeat to Brentford on the final day of the Premier League season, with Ethan Pinnock’s late goal condemning Guardiola’s side to defeat.
The champions had a scratch side out on the pitch, with Erling Haaland left on the bench and Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez having little impact. Guardiola said: ‘Congratulations to Brentford for the victory. It’s difficult to faze them, how quick they play, how aggressive they are in all departments. We would have behaved differently if we needed the points. I don’t have any complaints of how we behaved, I said to the players just now ‘you won the title, enjoy two days with your families and then we will prepare for the first final’. The guys who didn’t play who normally play were exhausted yesterday, mentally completely drained. They needed to rest to arrive with the right energy to face United.’
When asked if the players who missed out would be fit for Wembley, Guardiola said: ‘I don’t know right now. Hopefully. We have four or five players with niggles, not big injuries, but they are injuries. Ruben, Jack and Kevin couldn’t play. It is what it is. I think they will be ready but it’s hard to get ready in training. That’s why I had to see the players who played today.’
Pinnock’s goal made Brentford the only team to do the double over City this season, and only the fifth since Guardiola took over in 2016. The Spaniard added: ‘They are the best team by far at set-pieces, they are exceptional. What Thomas Frank has done for years is amazing and the unity of his squad is there for all to see. Hopefully we can do better and beat them like we did last season, so we have a target for next season already.’