Pep Guardiola favourite will miss Man City’s next Champions League fixture against Bodo/Glimt

Manchester City will have to cope without captain Bernardo Silva in their Champions League clash with Bodo/Glimt next month.

The Portuguese playmaker is regarded as one of Pep Guardiola’s most trusted first-team stars and has already made 20 appearances for the Citizens this season across the Premier League and Champions League.

Bernardo has played for at least 80 minutes in 11 of those matches, including the full 90 in Man City’s 2-1 comeback victory over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night.

City’s statement success in the Spanish capital has seen the climb up to fourth in the 36-team League Phase table, strengthening their hopes of finishing inside the top eight and qualifying automatically for the last 16.

Guardiola and co will travel to the Arctic Circle for their penultimate League Phase match against Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt on January 20, but Bernardo will be unavailable for selection.

This is because the 31-year-old picked up his third yellow card of the season in the Champions League against Real Madrid and will subsequently serve a one-match suspension.

Meanwhile, Nico O’Reilly received his second booking of the League Phase against Real Madrid after scoring City’s equaliser at the Bernabeu, and he - along with Savinho - is just one yellow card away from serving a one-game ban.

The absence of Bernardo against Bodo/Glimt will not be considered as too much of a concern for Man City, who will still be regarded as favourites to prevail, even if Guardiola opts to make a couple of changes to his lineup.

Man City “are far away” from winning Champions League, says Guardiola

Despite beating Real Madrid in Spain, Guardiola has insisted that his Man City side "are far away" from winning the Champions League this season.

Speaking post-match, Guardiola said: "The players made an incredible effort, it was an incredibly good result, the spirit is unbelievable, but there are still margins to improve."

Guardiola reacts to Man City’s Bernabeu triumph over Real Madrid

The Catalan added: "It could be better. Of course, winning in the Bernabeu is so difficult. Four, five, six players played their first game here, so maybe we're not completely ready to play in these stages like we are, but it's a process and there are a lot of new players.

"Winning here, I have to be happy, especially in terms of points. We have 13 already, so it's in our hands to finish in the top eight. That is the target. Winning here, after what happened in Leverkusen, has been good.

"Rodrygo, what a player. [Vinicius Junior, Jude] Bellingham and the pace they have up front is so dangerous and that's why you cannot stay high. You have to be so committed in the way you have to defend. We lacked a little bit, but in general, the effort was extraordinary."

Man City will now shift their focus to domestic duties for the next six weeks, starting with Sunday’s tricky trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace in a top-four Premier League contest.