Pep Guardiola tests positive for Covid-19 amid Man City outbreak

Pep Guardiola has tested positive for coronavirus
Pep Guardiola has tested positive for coronavirus / Lewis Storey/GettyImages
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has tested positive for Covid-19 amid an outbreak at the club.

The Citizens confirmed there are now 21 positive cases among the players and staff at the Etihad Stadium, including seven players and 13 members of Guardiola's backroom team.

Assistant manager Juanma Lillo is also among those to have tested positive.

In a statement, City confirmed that Guardiola and Lillo would not be on the touchline for the Friday night's FA Cup third round tie away to Swindon Town.

"Pep Guardiola will miss tomorrow evening’s FA Cup trip to Swindon Town after testing positive for Covid-19," it read.

"The City manager recorded a positive test on Tuesday along with assistant Juanma Lillo. Both are now isolating, along with a number of other positive cases within the City first-team bubble.

"This brings the number of those isolating for Covid related reasons amongst the group to 21. Of that number, 14 are backroom staff and seven are first-team players.

"Assistant coach Rodolfo Borrell will take charge of the team for the trip to Swindon."

City have not yet requested the postponement of the tie. If a team has a minimum of 14 players available, including a goalkeeper, they would be expected to fulfil the fixture.

Guardiola's side are already without Riyad Mahrez, who has travelled to Cameroon to represent Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.