Manchester City’s Gameweek 9 injury picture
Manchester City enter FPL Gameweek 9 with one confirmed injury: Antoine Semenyo is out with a knee problem and is expected to miss a medium-term stretch. Enzo Maresca said the rest of the squad is available. For fantasy managers, that gives a relatively clear availability picture, though it doesn’t settle the more difficult question of who’ll start.
A single confirmed absence can simplify the first pass through a squad, but availability and selection aren’t the same thing. A player may be fit and still face competition for a place, particularly in a team whose manager says he’ll choose according to the opponent and the demands of a match. That distinction matters in FPL, where a player’s potential minutes can be as important as his attacking ability.
Semenyo’s expected medium-term absence means managers shouldn’t treat him as a late fitness gamble for this gameweek. The source doesn’t give a return date or further detail about the knee problem, so there’s no firm basis for predicting when he’ll be available again. For now, the practical point is narrower: he’s out, and the rest of the squad is reported available.
Nunes and Ndiaye return to the available group
That puts Matheus Nunes back in contention after a short absence. Iliman Ndiaye is also fit after leaving last weekend’s match because of cramp. Their availability broadens Maresca’s options, but it doesn’t guarantee either player a start or a particular role.
Cramp can prompt a substitution without indicating a longer injury, and Ndiaye’s reported fitness is consistent with that distinction. Nunes’ return similarly removes one uncertainty from the squad list. Yet FPL managers still need to separate “available” from “likely to play substantial minutes”; the statement confirms the former, while leaving the latter open.
“[Apart from] Antoine Semenyo, the rest, they are all available,” Maresca said.
The wording is useful because it identifies the only reported fitness concern, but it offers little detail about selection. Managers shouldn’t read it as a promise that every available player will feature. In squad rotation, fitness reports describe who can be considered; tactical decisions determine who actually gets the minutes.
Maresca backs Donnarumma and leaves room for rotation
Gianluigi Donnarumma had a difficult outing against Aston Villa last Saturday, but Maresca voiced his confidence in the goalkeeper. He called the current situation “Gigio plus 10,” while stressing that no player is undroppable. The message is supportive, but it stops short of guaranteeing Donnarumma’s place indefinitely.
That balance is familiar in football management. A manager can publicly back a player after a poor performance while retaining the option to change the lineup if the next match calls for it. For fantasy purposes, confidence in a goalkeeper is encouraging, but it isn’t the same as an explicit selection confirmation. Managers weighing Donnarumma should account for both parts of Maresca’s comments.
This is more significant than it looks: the strongest public endorsement still comes with a clear reminder that selection remains conditional. A goalkeeper’s FPL value depends partly on expected starts, and comments about trust can help frame that expectation. They can’t remove the uncertainty created when the manager also says nobody is assured of a place.
Foden and Cherki offer tactical flexibility
Maresca also said Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki can start together, depending on the opponent and the match. The pair featured in Wednesday’s game against Brighton and Hove Albion, and he described both as “fantastic players.” That establishes that a shared lineup is possible; it doesn’t establish that it’s the plan for Gameweek 9.
The qualification about the opponent is doing real work here. Managers often adjust attacking combinations to suit the space available, the balance they want in midfield, or the shape of the opposition. The source doesn’t spell out which factors will decide this selection, so any more specific claim would be guesswork. The reliable takeaway is that Foden and Cherki aren’t mutually exclusive, while their starts remain matchup-dependent.
For FPL managers, that creates a familiar trade-off. A player can be an attractive attacking pick and still carry uncertainty over minutes when several options are available. If you’re working in this space, it’s worth distinguishing between a manager saying two players can play together and a manager confirming that both will start. The first expands the possible combinations; it doesn’t identify the chosen one.
What the squad update means for FPL managers
For FPL managers, Semenyo is the only reported fitness concern; Nunes and Ndiaye are available, while City’s attacking selections may still depend on the matchup. That’s a usable update, but it isn’t a full team sheet. Managers can treat Semenyo’s absence as the clearest immediate change and keep more caution around players whose minutes could depend on Maresca’s tactical choices.
Here’s the thing: injury news is most useful when it narrows the field, not when it’s mistaken for a prediction. This update narrows the fitness concern to one player and confirms that two others are back in contention. It leaves the goalkeeper and attacking selection questions open, which is exactly where managers should resist turning a general comment into certainty.
In FPL, uncertainty has practical consequences. A player who starts regularly offers a different kind of security from one whose place depends on the opponent, even if both have strong attacking potential. Managers need to weigh the expected upside of a pick against the chance of limited minutes, especially when building a lineup that depends on dependable starters.
And yet, the update does provide a clearer basis for decisions than a broad list of doubtful players would. Donnarumma has his manager’s backing, Foden and Cherki can share the pitch, and Nunes and Ndiaye are available. None of those points confirms a starting XI. The distinction is small in wording, but it can matter considerably when choosing a captain, a substitute, or a transfer.
(And this is the part most people overlook.) A squad can be fully available and still present selection risk. Fitness answers whether a player can be picked; it doesn’t answer whether the manager will pick him, how long he’ll play, or whether his role will suit the fixture. For Gameweek 9, City’s update clarifies the first question and leaves the others for the lineup and match itself.
So the immediate read is straightforward: Semenyo is expected to miss a medium-term stretch, while the rest of the squad is available according to Maresca. Nunes and Ndiaye return to consideration, and the comments on Donnarumma, Foden and Cherki offer context rather than a guarantee. Selection remains the unsettled part.