Manchester City will be without Jeremy Doku for their Premier League opener against Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, August 23, 2026 (2pm BST, Sky Sports).
The Belgian winger started last weekend's 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal in Cardiff but was forced off at half-time and replaced by Jack Grealish. Doku has since been diagnosed with a calf injury that will keep him sidelined for at least two weeks.
Maresca confirms Doku absence
Enzo Maresca confirmed the news at his pre-match press conference on Friday, saying: "At the moment, the only one [unavailable] is Jeremy Doku. Unfortunately in the last game at half-time he was complaining about a calf pain."
"Idea was that he would come off, the change was planned and at the moment, [he's out for] 2-3 weeks, no more than that."
Predicted lineup changes
Erling Haaland will keep his place up front, but the trio behind him will need rearranging. Phil Foden started in the No10 role against Arsenal but is likely to switch to the right wing against Bournemouth, pushing Antoine Semenyo to the left and creating space for Rayan Cherki in the middle.
Matheus Nunes has shaken off a muscle issue suffered in the warm-up in Cardiff and could come straight in for Abdukodir Khusanov at right-back. Savinho and Omar Marmoush will not feature as they close in on moves to Tottenham.
Gianluigi Donnarumma should keep his place behind an unchanged back four of Khusanov, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Nico O'Reilly. Mateo Kovacic appeared back to his best in the Community Shield, while Elliot Anderson will have a point to prove after a subdued debut.
It remains to be seen whether Grealish will be involved, as his City future remains uncertain. He impressed after replacing Doku last time out, but it is not yet clear whether he figures in Maresca's plans for the season.
Predicted Man City XI (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Kovacic, Anderson; Foden, Cherki, Semenyo; Haaland.
