The Argentine international, who has suffered a broken rib, has been an integral part of City’s early season form, contributing seven goals in eight appearances in all competitions.
Pep Guardiola’s men have been tipped by many pundits to lift the league title this year, but this setback could cause some to think twice.
Reports indicate that Aguero now faces roughly two months out of action, and City will almost certainly suffer in the absence of their prolific frontman.
I'm home in Manchester after an exam by club Drs. It's a broken rib. Hurts, but I'm fine, fully focused on recovery. Thank you all! pic.twitter.com/uamK7xwo99
Of course, the Etihad outfit still have plenty of quality in attack — Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and David Silva have all enjoyed impressive starts to the season.
That said, Aguero’s injury, coupled with Benjamin Mendy’s confirmed long-term absence, has meant a side that have looked unstoppable for large parts of the season suddenly appear a little more vulnerable ahead of Saturday evening’s crunch encounter away to Chelsea.
2. Can Crystal Palace end their woeful run?
It can’t be too much fun to be a Crystal Palace fan right now.
The beleaguered club have lost all six of their Premier League games so far, conceding 13 and scoring 0, with Frank de Boer already sacked after a stint that was as disastrous as it was brief.
To make matters worse, this weekend, Palace face an in-form Man United side at Old Trafford.
With key striker Christian Benteke set for an injury layoff, few would back the Eagles to get anything from Saturday’s game against the Premier League’s second-place team, who have won five and drawn one of their opening six domestic fixtures, while they also maintained their 100% record in the Champions League during the week.
Meanwhile, with Paul Pogba set to be out for an extended period, Man United have their own injury problems to deal with, but given that Jose Mourinho’s side are playing so well regardless, they should be able cope without their record signing for the next while.
Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane celebrates for scoring. Xinhua News Agency / PA Images
Xinhua News Agency / PA Images / PA Images
Tottenham have begun the Premier League season in somewhat strange fashion.
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Away from home, they have a 100% record, with three wins from three, whereas Spurs have yet to register a Premier League victory on their temporary home turf of Wembley.
In many ways, it is the opposite of last season, when the then-White Hart Lane outfit would have won the league based on home results alone, yet they only came fifth on the ‘away table’ in the 2016-17 campaign.
Huddersfield, however, are unbeaten at home this season, so they won’t be overly fearful ahead of Saturday’s early kick-off.
One man the Terriers will need to keep a particularly close eye on is Harry Kane, who has an incredible haul of 11 goals in seven games this month, and is playing as well as any striker in the world currently.
In isolation, the game’s significance could be played down — after all, few if any Premier League teams tend to prioritise the Europa League, unless they find themselves in a Manchester United-esque situation towards the end of the season, whereby the competition has become their best hope of qualifying for the Champions League.
Yet the discontent that greeted their latest result is part of a wider sense of disillusionment at Goodison Park.
Given that the Toffees had spent upwards of €100 million in the summer, expectations were raised, yet there has been little evidence of progress on the field this season.
Ronald Koeman’s side have picked up just seven points from their opening six games, albeit during what has been a tough start, with the Merseyside-based club already coming up against Chelsea, Tottenham and both Manchester clubs.
But it remains a very disappointing start for a team that some people were initially tipping as outsiders for a Champions League spot this season, with the club in particular missing the pace in attack of Romelu Lukaku, who they sold to Man United for a club-record (in terms of the fee received) £75 million in the summer.
5. Are Conte’s complaints justified?
Antonio Conte is hardly the first Premier League manager to complain about his club’s hectic fixture list.
Nonetheless, the Chelsea coach’s post-match comments in the wake of an impressive 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid — handing the Spanish side just their second defeat in 24 home Champions League matches — still gained plenty of traction.
“I think we are a bit penalised and in this case, it is very important to analyse, before taking these decisions, the different situations of the team,” said Conte.
“City played yesterday at home. We played tonight away and we will return to London around four o’clock (in the morning).”
Conte may have a point in suggesting City have a slight advantage for this weekend’s game.
However, he can hardly complain too vehemently. The fixture list is determined at random, with every side facing inconvenient circumstances on occasion.
For Conte to imply that his side have been treated particularly unfairly seems misguided, while Chelsea have a big enough squad to cope with the admittedly intense workload if necessary.
Premier League fixtures (all games kick-off at 3pm unless stated otherwise)
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How badly will Sergio Aguero's absence impact on Man City's title aspirations?
1. How badly will Sergio Aguero’s absence impact on Man City’s title aspirations?
NEWS THAT SERGIO Aguero has sustained injuries in an Amsterdam car crash comes as a blow to Man City.
The Argentine international, who has suffered a broken rib, has been an integral part of City’s early season form, contributing seven goals in eight appearances in all competitions.
Pep Guardiola’s men have been tipped by many pundits to lift the league title this year, but this setback could cause some to think twice.
Reports indicate that Aguero now faces roughly two months out of action, and City will almost certainly suffer in the absence of their prolific frontman.
Of course, the Etihad outfit still have plenty of quality in attack — Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and David Silva have all enjoyed impressive starts to the season.
That said, Aguero’s injury, coupled with Benjamin Mendy’s confirmed long-term absence, has meant a side that have looked unstoppable for large parts of the season suddenly appear a little more vulnerable ahead of Saturday evening’s crunch encounter away to Chelsea.
2. Can Crystal Palace end their woeful run?
It can’t be too much fun to be a Crystal Palace fan right now.
The beleaguered club have lost all six of their Premier League games so far, conceding 13 and scoring 0, with Frank de Boer already sacked after a stint that was as disastrous as it was brief.
To make matters worse, this weekend, Palace face an in-form Man United side at Old Trafford.
With key striker Christian Benteke set for an injury layoff, few would back the Eagles to get anything from Saturday’s game against the Premier League’s second-place team, who have won five and drawn one of their opening six domestic fixtures, while they also maintained their 100% record in the Champions League during the week.
Meanwhile, with Paul Pogba set to be out for an extended period, Man United have their own injury problems to deal with, but given that Jose Mourinho’s side are playing so well regardless, they should be able cope without their record signing for the next while.
Furthermore, as if the odds aren’t firmly stacked against Roy Hodgson’s men already, Palace have never beaten the Red Devils in the Premier League in 16 attempts.
3. Huddersfield must stop in-form Kane
Tottenham have begun the Premier League season in somewhat strange fashion.
Away from home, they have a 100% record, with three wins from three, whereas Spurs have yet to register a Premier League victory on their temporary home turf of Wembley.
In many ways, it is the opposite of last season, when the then-White Hart Lane outfit would have won the league based on home results alone, yet they only came fifth on the ‘away table’ in the 2016-17 campaign.
Huddersfield, however, are unbeaten at home this season, so they won’t be overly fearful ahead of Saturday’s early kick-off.
One man the Terriers will need to keep a particularly close eye on is Harry Kane, who has an incredible haul of 11 goals in seven games this month, and is playing as well as any striker in the world currently.
4. Everton in dire need of a win
The boos told a story, as Everton failed to beat Cypriot side Apollon Limassol on Thursday night in the Europa League.
In isolation, the game’s significance could be played down — after all, few if any Premier League teams tend to prioritise the Europa League, unless they find themselves in a Manchester United-esque situation towards the end of the season, whereby the competition has become their best hope of qualifying for the Champions League.
Yet the discontent that greeted their latest result is part of a wider sense of disillusionment at Goodison Park.
Given that the Toffees had spent upwards of €100 million in the summer, expectations were raised, yet there has been little evidence of progress on the field this season.
Ronald Koeman’s side have picked up just seven points from their opening six games, albeit during what has been a tough start, with the Merseyside-based club already coming up against Chelsea, Tottenham and both Manchester clubs.
But it remains a very disappointing start for a team that some people were initially tipping as outsiders for a Champions League spot this season, with the club in particular missing the pace in attack of Romelu Lukaku, who they sold to Man United for a club-record (in terms of the fee received) £75 million in the summer.
5. Are Conte’s complaints justified?
Antonio Conte is hardly the first Premier League manager to complain about his club’s hectic fixture list.
Nonetheless, the Chelsea coach’s post-match comments in the wake of an impressive 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid — handing the Spanish side just their second defeat in 24 home Champions League matches — still gained plenty of traction.
“I think we are a bit penalised and in this case, it is very important to analyse, before taking these decisions, the different situations of the team,” said Conte.
“City played yesterday at home. We played tonight away and we will return to London around four o’clock (in the morning).”
Conte may have a point in suggesting City have a slight advantage for this weekend’s game.
However, he can hardly complain too vehemently. The fixture list is determined at random, with every side facing inconvenient circumstances on occasion.
For Conte to imply that his side have been treated particularly unfairly seems misguided, while Chelsea have a big enough squad to cope with the admittedly intense workload if necessary.
Premier League fixtures (all games kick-off at 3pm unless stated otherwise)
Saturday
Huddersfield v Tottenham (12.30)
Bournemouth v Leicester
Man United v Crystal Palace
Stoke v Southampton
West Brom v Watford
West Ham v Swansea
Chelsea v Man City (17.30)
Sunday
Arsenal v Brighton (12.00)
Everton v Burnley (14.15)
Newcastle v Liverpool (16.30)
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