Two key players' absences confirmed as Man City announce squad vs RB Leipzig

Manchester City have travelled to Germany for their Champions League tie against RB Leipzig without Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte.

City are looking to establish a lead in their last-16 first leg at Leipzig, but will have to do it without key players Laporte and De Bruyne after they were not named in the travelling squad for the game.

Both played at Nottingham Forest at the weekend, but are now unavailable, and Pep Guardiola will be asked about the reasons for the duo's absence when he speaks to the media later on Tuesday in Leipzig.

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Also absent is John Stones, who remains on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, but City have taken an otherwise unchanged squad from the group that drew at Forest on Saturday.

Maximo Perrone, who signed in January and was subsequently added to the Champions League squad, is in the squad, as are youngsters Shea Charles and Alex Robertson.

With De Bruyne and Laporte missing, Guardiola must decide whether to persist with Bernardo Silva as his designated left-back, or bring back Nathan Ake to that position and move Bernardo back into a more familiar midfield role. Julian Alvarez has previously played on the few occasions when De Bruyne has not started, so may replace the Belgian after sitting on the bench at the weekend.

Full Man City travelling squad to RB Leipzig: Ederson, Ortega, Carson; Dias, Walker, Ake, Gomez, Akanji, Charles, Lewis; Rodri, Phillips, Gundogan, Bernardo, Perrone, Robertson, Palmer; Foden, Mahrez, Grealish, Alvarez, Haaland.

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