MANCHESTER -- John Stones is set to start his first game for Manchester City in the Premier League opener five days after joining the club.
But German winger Leroy Sane, who also moved to City this summer in a £37m move from Schalke, will have to wait for his first-team debut after tweaking his hamstring injury in training.
Pep Guardiola told a news conference that he is "80-90 percent" sure of the team that will start his first game as the new City boss against Sunderland on Saturday.
The Spaniard is short of defensive options with captain Vincent Kompany still returning to full fitness after a groin injury while Eliaquim Mangala has yet to feature in the first-team since being given extra time over the summer as France reached the final of Euro 2016.
Stones will be considered for a start despite a lacking of preparation with the first team following his £47.5m move from Everton on Tuesday.
"I think it is important for us [to sign] an English player, a young player, a huge talent, with his ability to build up, with his intelligence to read the next step, the next pass, behind the line. I think he is a good, good, good player so we are happy to have him," Guardiola said.
"He is fit. He played with Ronald Koeman -- he played four, five, six friendly games of 90 minutes so he is fit.
"Of course there is a lack of time. It's true but he reads the game. The people who are intelligent they read exactly what is going on, what they have to do. John Stones [can do that], that is why we took him. I think he's ready.
"The others, I know maybe 80 percent or 90 percent who will play tomorrow. [The line-up and formation] is almost ready, not 100 percent. Maybe I need my dream tonight to make the right decision."
Guardiola has not had as much time to work with his first-team squad as he would have liked with players returning late from the Copa America and Euro 2016.
The likes of Sergio Aguero and David Silva only joined up with the squad on the preseason tour to China while Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne only returned to training a fortnight ago.
Guardiola believes it will take time for his players to improve their creativity but has demanded that they play with "soul" in their opening clash at the Etihad.
"Tomorrow, to create something we need time. To create something with ideas to attack, we need time. But to play with soul, with something inside, we don't need time," he said.
"Tomorrow, maybe we're not going to play good. I don't know what's going on [with] the success, the result, but we're not going to accept not playing with soul. Because with that, we don't need time.
"That is what I'm looking for in my team and my players and I want our fans to see that. My dream is of course to win, but before I want to play good."