Pep Guardiola gambles Man City's treble hopes with divisive Champions League decision

Injuries, illness and suspension were always going to force Pep Guardiola's hand when it came to his team selection for Manchester City's Champions League tie against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday, but few will have expected him to take the gamble he has.

City only have 14 fit senior players for the second leg of their round-of-16 tie, with just three of those being defenders. The Blues hold a healthy 5-0 advantage from the first leg in Portugal, so Guardiola was expected to name a much-changed starting XI.

To a certain extent he has; with Kyle Walker serving a three-match suspension and Joao Cancelo ruled out through illness, 19-year-old right-back CJ Egan-Riley will make his second appearance for the club, building on the 90 minutes he got against Wycombe in the Carabao Cup last September.

Egan-Riley is the only youngster included in the line-up, perhaps not surprising given Guardiola's insistence that the match is not a dead rubber despite City's five-goal head-start.

However, the Catalan has taken a huge risk in deciding to start both John Stones and Aymeric Laporte. The duo are not only two of City's most important players - there are few defenders in world football better at passing and building from the back - but they are currently City's only two fit centre-backs.

With Ruben Dias out for at least another few weeks with a hamstring injury and Nathan Ake also sidelined, Guardiola may only have Stones and Laporte to call upon for the upcoming league trip to Crystal Palace and the FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton.

Should either pick up an injury tonight in what is surely a foregone conclusion, then City's hopes in two competitions could be dealt a blow.

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