Former Brighton manager Graham Potter says injuries could be "destabilising" Manchester City, despite boss Pep Guardiola not wanting to make them an excuse for his side's recent performances.

Manchester City fell to their third consecutive defeat in all competitions against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday, despite taking an early lead through Phil Foden.

Speaking on the latest episode of Planet Premier League, Potter said: "They don't want to make injuries an excuse - Pep will make an absolute effort not to and the players won't - but there is no Rodri, no [Jack] Grealish, no [John] Stones, no [Ruben] Dias and no [Kevin]De Bruyne.

"I know, from experience, how destabilising that is because it affects how you train and the mentality of the group. Everyone is looking around going: 'But we have only got four or five [players] training today'.

"You know it's not quite the same, but they obviously don't want to make it an excuse.

"As a manager who isn't working, I think I can make the excuse for them. It really is difficult [to deal with] - it stops your flow."

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