Enzo Maresca has provided an update on the fitness of Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol following Manchester City’s 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.

Both defenders were handed starts in a four-man City backline that conceded twice in the opening 18 minutes courtesy of sloppy mistakes.

Gvardiol was dispossessed from a central position by Jair Cunha who then slotted home Forest’s early opener, before Guehi and Ruben Dias could not prevent powerhouse Liam Delap from barnstorming through on goal and firing the hosts further in front.

Guehi - under fire for recent error-strewn performances - and Gvardiol were then replaced at half time by Nico O'Reilly and Matheus Nunes, and six minutes after the interval, Rayan Cherki rifled the ball into the top corner to give City a glimmer of hope.

However, Forest regained their two-goal cushion thanks to a stunning strike from man-of-the-match Delap, condemning Man City to their third successive Premier League defeat.

Forest 3-1 Man City: Guehi, Gvardiol substitutions explained by Maresca

Explaining why both Guehi and Gvardiol were withdrawn at half time, Maresca told Sky Sports: "Both injury, both asked for change.

“Marc Guehi [has an] injury and Josko Gvardiol had some issues already during the week, so it was just because they had problems.”

Guehi and Gvardiol were called up to the England and Croatia squads respectively earlier this week ahead of two UEFA Nations League fixtures in November’s international break.

England welcome Croatia to Wembley on November 12 for their penultimate League A Group 3 match, while the Three Lions face Spain and the Checkered Ones take on Czechia in their final game three days later.

However, both Guehi and Gvardiol have now emerged as injury doubts, with an update on their unspecified problems likely to come at the start of next week.

Man City currently have Antoine Semenyo sidelined with a knee injury, with the attacker targeting a return at some stage next month.

O’Reilly, meanwhile, played the second half against Forest but is ‘not 100%’ and has subsequently been left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

Maresca dissects disappointing Man City defeat at Forest

Man City's defensive frailties are a growing concern for Maresca, who highlighted his team's lack of intensity and failure to win duels as major factors behind their disappointing defeat at the City Ground.

“I will speak quite clearly. In the first half when you do not match the intensity and lose all the duels, it is difficult. Then we want to react but it is too late,” Maresca told reporters.

“In these kinds of matches, first of all you need to match the intensity and win the duels. Otherwise it is always complicated.

“In the first half we were not good enough in terms of duels and second balls, we lost all of them.

“Then when we tried to react, we were 2-0 down and in football it is always complicated.

“The first goal we are trying to play and build up. It can happen. It’s the second one, we lost duels in the middle of the pitch, the third one we lost duels in the edge of the box. We don’t need to wait to concede two to react.”

Man City, who are in danger of slipping to third in the Premier League table, are next in action on November 21 at home to Fulham.