Pep Guardiola has said that Manchester City’s three January signings will all be included in the squad to face Chelsea in a match he likened to a 'final'.
In the space of less than a week, City signed defenders Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis from Lens and Palmeiras respectively, as well as forward Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Guardiola is happy to have the trio available for a vital fixture against one of the champions' top-four rivals.
"Vitor is young. He has a huge personality [but he] needs time," Guardiola said of the 18-year-old Brazilian. "If he's here with us, of course, he can start.
"Khusanov has already settled for the fact that he played in the French league, handling tough, quick, fast players. But he doesn't speak much English so communication will be one of the situations that we have to deal with.
"Marmoush, I think, will adapt quickly. The [new signings] will make us strong and I'm pretty sure that the club decided these are prospective players for the future, for many years."
Man City team news
Injuries have deprived City of Ruben Dias and Jeremy Doku for the visit of Chelsea, who ended their five-match winless streak in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on Monday.
"Ruben Dias has an adductor injury," confirmed the City manager. "I don't know how long he'll be out for. He's been stable and able to play a lot of games, but this season, it is what it is."
Guardiola has classified the Chelsea match as "really important"; victory for his team would lift them above the London club and into fourth place in the Premier League.
"We are very close in the table, even with the big problems we had in the recent past," he said.
"The next two games [against Chelsea and Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League] are really, really important. [They are] finals with us. Our people will support us."
Pep's respect for Maresca
Guardiola is impressed by the work his former assistant, Enzo Maresca, has done since being appointed as Chelsea's head coach last summer.
"I recognised his team from day one, even when we played them in the summer camp in the States," the City manager added.
"[There were] many things I started to see that we spoke about many, many times in the last years together. [It is] really, really good."
Further reading on Man City's new signings