Guardiola said that almost all teams are facing injuries and the fundamental reason is the schedule

Manchester City's injury problems continue to worsen, with Manuel Akanji confirmed to be out for 8 to 10 weeks. Manager Guardiola said the Premier League may need to consider expanding the squad to 40 players, but the financial consequences of doing so could bankrupt the club.

Manchester City has been plagued by injuries this season, as have Tottenham, Arsenal and many other teams. Akanji tore his groin muscle in Tuesday's Champions League defeat to Real Madrid, while earlier, Arsenal's Kai Havertz was also ruled out for the season with a hamstring tear.

Regarding the team's frequent injuries, Guardiola believes that this is the inevitable result of the ever-expanding schedule.

"I always expected injuries during the season, but I didn't expect so many," Guardiola said ahead of Saturday's Premier League match against Newcastle. "It's not just a Manchester City problem."

"Look at Tottenham and Arsenal. Almost all teams are facing injuries. Only Liverpool is relatively stable. The same is true for Real Madrid. After a season, the body can't bear it. Just like Akanji's case, the body is saying 'enough'."

"To solve this problem? Klopp and I have said before that the fundamental reason is the schedule. Apart from that, I can't see any other reason."

Pep Guardiola has dismissed the prospect of reducing the number of teams taking part in the Premier League.

"The Premier League will not reduce the number of matches, and the League Cup will not be cancelled. The only solution is to expand the team's lineup to 40 people. But this is simply unrealistic and the club will go bankrupt. How to afford the salaries and transfer fees of 40 players? It's impossible."

Talking about the possible lineup for the Club World Cup, Guardiola admitted: "It's a big question mark now. I don't know what lineup I will bring in the end. But my intuition is not very optimistic. The situation is as serious as that of many clubs."

Guardiola used De Bruyne as an example of how players find it difficult to cope with the intensive schedule.

"In the past eight or nine years, De Bruyne was one of the players who played the most games, one game every three days, which was very physically demanding. He can do it, but he is 33 years old now and was injured for five months last year. The situation is completely different."

"When a player is injured for five months, I can still go on holiday, but they have to go to the national team to play in the World Cup or participate in the new UEFA Nations League. It's not a problem of the coach or the physiotherapist, but too many games. The player's body is already protesting - 'I'm tired'."