Man City injury news: Latest Jeremy Doku, John Stones, Rodri update from Pep Guardiola before Brentford EFL Cup tie

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has provided a fresh update on the fitness of his squad ahead of Wednesday’s EFL Cup quarter-final against Brentford at the Etihad Stadium.

The in-form Citizens have won each of their last five matches across all competitions, including Sunday’s 3-0 Premier League win at Crystal Palace to stay within two points of Arsenal at the summit.

City picked up all three points without the presence of their most creative player this season, as Jeremy Doku did not travel to Selhurst Park due to a leg injury.

Only Bruno Fernandes (50) has created more chances in the Premier League this season than Doku (36), who has also chipped in with three goals and six assists in 22 matches across all competitions in 2025-26.

However, the Belgian winger will not be available to return for Man City against Brentford, as Guardiola has revealed that he could be sidelined for up to three weeks.

Doku out for up to three weeks, joins Stones, Rodri on sidelines

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Guardiola also confirmed that John Stones and Rodri remain unavailable for selection as they continue to recover from hamstring injuries.

“Jeremy and John are out, Rodri is out. The rest I think will be ready,” the Man City boss told reporters.

“I don’t know [how long Doku will be out]. Two or three weeks. [A return against] Sunderland in the New Year maybe. We will see.”

A potential three-week absence for Doku could see him miss City’s next three matches over the Christmas period, including Premier League games against West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.

His teammate Stones has already missed three matches through injury, while Rodri has not featured in any of the Citizens' last nine games in all tournaments since sustaining his injury before October’s international break.

Elsewhere, Man City are now having to cope without Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri for a lengthy period of time, as they have left the club to represent Egypt and Algeria respectively at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Trafford to start vs. Brentford as Guardiola confirms rotation

Given City’s congested fixture schedule, Guardiola has confirmed that he will rotate his lineup for the visit of Brentford, with goalkeeper James Trafford one player who will be recalled at the expense of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

“James is going to play and all the players that didn’t play recently are going to play and some from the Academy because three days after that we have West Ham (in the Premier League on Saturday),” said Guardiola.

“I’m not saying it’s not the priority to get to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, but normally when we achieve it, it’s when we have all the squad, no injuries and we can rotate.

“When you are one game away from the semi-finals, if you can take it, take it, because you never know when it’s coming back.

“We lost Rayan and Omar. We have some injuries like John and Rodri. We’ll see but we want to get to the semi-finals.

“Now we have less recovery, three days not four [after Crystal Palace], of course the players that didn’t play recently are going to play and the academy so we will see.”

Guardiola has also provided a fresh update on Trafford’s future at the Etihad amid uncertainty over his situation ahead of the January transfer window.