Manchester City can't seem to find a way out of their recent slump and now, prepare to host Manchester United in the city's derby in a game where the team will be without Rico Lewis.
Lewis will serve a one-game suspension following his red card against Crystal Palace last time out in the Premier League. After scoring City's equalizer, Lewis saw two yellow cards in 14 minutes. A clumsy tackle in the 84th minute saw referee, Robert Jones, show Lewis his second yellow of the match. Regardless of it being a controversial call in the eyes of some, Lewis's fate was sealed and now he'll be in the stands when Manchester United visit the Etihad on Sunday.
The suspended Lewis leaves the manager, Pep Guardiola, with a shortage of defensive options. John Stones, Nathan Aké and Manuel Akanji will also be unavailable for the derby, as the three continue to be sidelined through injury. It appears Guardiola will be forced to stick with the struggling pair of Joško Gvardiol and Kyle Walker in the heart of defense.
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Manchester City's defense has been porous off late. The team's allowed a staggering 23 goals in its last 10 games across all competitions, managing just one win in what's become the worst 10 game run of Guardiola's career.
Lewis's absence will undoubtedly cause City a headache, as they can't afford to lose against their bitter city rivals. Anything other than a win could signify the final nail in the coffin of City's Premier League title aspirations. Furthermore, losing a Manchester derby to a side that's clearly in the very early stages of a rebuild under Ruben Amorim would be catastrophic for the fanbase.
Lewis will serve his one game suspension and will be at Guardiola's disposal when Manchester City visits Aston Villa on Saturday, Dec. 21.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Many Games Will Rico Lewis Miss for Manchester City?.