Pep Guardiola says he's still angry with Kyle Walker over the red card which he received in the final game of the Champions League group stage against RB Leipzig in December.
The 31-year-old was sent off in the 83rd minute, with Manchester City leading 2-1, after he lashed and deliberately kicked the heels of Leipzig striker Andre Silva. He was subsequently given a three-game ban.
Walker missed the first leg of City's last-16 tie with Sporting Lisbon, a game they won 5-0. He will also miss Wednesday's second leg and first leg of the next round.
"He deserved the three-game ban," Guardiola said during pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
"When a player does a stupid thing, he deserves to be banned for three games.
"I'm not so kind to Kyle in this kind of action. I'm still so angry with him.
"It's not necessary to discuss that - he knows it. Kyle is so important for us - you saw the game he played against United - but in Leipzig when we had already qualified, 80 minutes in and he made this kind of action? He deserves the three games."
Kyle Walker red card against RB Leipzig
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Potential QF ❌Kyle Walker has been banned for three #UCL matches following his red card for this challenge on Leipzig's André Silva 😳
He'll miss both round of 16 ties against Sporting, and a potential quarter-final first leg... pic.twitter.com/lgRT8ZDnR2
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 28, 2022
Due to injuries and illness, City are short on senior players for Wednesday's second leg. With Joao Cancelo also unavailable, Guardiola said he doesn't know who will play at right-back, adding that it may have to be an academy player.
"The club appealed but I did not agree," Guardiola added regarding Walker's suspension.
"They had to do it because in other similar cases it was just two games - he deserved it. Hopefully he learns for the future."
Picture credit: EQRoy / Shutterstock.com and Oleksandr Osipov / Shutterstock.com
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