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Pep Guardiola has defended Bernardo Silva after he received a one-match ban and £50,000 fine for a racist tweet directed at team-mate Benjamin Mendy.

In the tweet, posted in September and subsequently deleted, Silva compared a photo of Mendy as a child to a picture of the mascot for Spanish confectionery brand Conguitos:

The Football Association handed out a punishment that will mean Silva will miss City's Saturday clash with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League:

Speaking ahead of the fixture, Guardiola backed the Portuguese playmaker and said he will be missed, per Simon Bajkowski and Liam Corless of the Manchester Evening News:

"In that situation, the less important thing is we are going to miss him. He has been accused for something he is not. If they want to pick up someone to show something it was the right person. He will be careful to use social media. ... I'm pretty sure Bernardo accepts this punishment."

City will be looking to bounce back against the in-form Blues after losing to Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield before the international break.

The defeat left the defending champions lying fourth in the Premier League table, nine points back from the Reds.

Chelsea are one point ahead of City after six Premier League wins on the bounce.

Former Blues manager Jose Mourinho was appointed Tottenham Hotspur manager on Wednesday, replacing Mauricio Pochettino.

Guardiola backed his old foe to succeed in north London:

He also said goalkeeper Ederson will be back in action for Saturday's meeting with Chelsea:

The Brazilian was injured for the Liverpool game, and Claudio Bravo had to deputise between the posts.