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Rob DawsonCorrespondent
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said anyone who leaks news from the team before matches is “unethical and unprofessional”.
Aston Villa have launched an investigation following the news that midfielder Jack Grealish had suffered a training injury prior to his clash with Leicester City.
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Villa has also called for his players to stop playing fantasy football after some members of the squad removed Grealish from their teams before the defeat against Leicester, seen as an indicator that the English international would be lost.
Guardiola keeps his selections close to his chest, but the city chief said he would have a dim view of anyone who was leaking information.
“I know the players play these games, but I don’t know what fantasy football is,” Guardiola said. “I’ve never played it and I’ve heard it for the first time in the headlines [on Monday]. I don’t know what it is.
“Sometimes there’s a selection, and the players are friends of players from other teams and they talk. Sometimes it happens. It’s unethical and unprofessional, but it can happen.”
Guardiola was speaking as he prepares his team for the Champions League quarter-final tie with Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday. He has won the competition twice before, while leading Barcelona, but has never been beyond the quarter-finals for four years at City.
“Every time we went out, we were at a high level and so close,” Guardiola said. “We have to play well, and the desire is there.
“After that, we watch the second half and then we move on to quarters if we’re good enough. There are no more expectations than that.”
A remarkable 18-game winning streak has propelled City to the top of the Premier League table and raised the possibility of a quadruple if they win the title, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and the Champions League this season.
It would be an unprecedented feat in English football, but midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said the opportunity to make history is not on the minds of the players.
“I haven’t thought about anything until you just mentioned it and nothing I’m thinking about,” he said. “If it happens, I’ll take it.”