Manchester City suffer major defensive injury blow ahead of Arsenal showdown

Manchester City suffer major defensive injury blow ahead of Arsenal showdown Ruben Dias has been ruled out of Sunday’s clash at the Etihad due to a lingering ankle injury. Dias is expected to miss the remainder of April, including the FA Cup semi-final vs Southampton. City currently sit six points behind the Gunners with a game in hand.

Pep Guardiola will be forced to take on Arsenal in this weekend’s Premier League title ‘decider’ without one of his primary first-team stars, it has been confirmed. The timing could not be more critical for Manchester City, and after a statement 3-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, momentum appeared to be firmly with the Sky Blues as they looked to capitalise on Arsenal’s recent slip-up against Bournemouth. However, the task of stopping Mikel Arteta’s highly-regarded squad has no doubt become significantly harder ahead of the weekend with the loss of a key vocal leader in the heart of the backline.

Manchester City come into the weekend’s mouthwatering clash with the Gunners six points behind the leaders, though they crucially hold a game in hand against Crystal Palace to be played later in the business end of the ongoing run-in. Any further defensive fragilities or absentees across the park could certainly be the difference between securing another historic trophy haul or finishing as runners-up in one of the most enthralling title races in recent memory. Ruben Dias to miss Manchester City vs Arsenal Now, as per the Manchester Evening News’ Simon Bajkowski , Ruben Dias will not be ready to return to Manchester City in action in time for Sunday afternoon’s clash with Arsenal, owing to an ankle injury suffered last month.

It is further detailed that the Portugal international is also not likely to be back for the rest of the month, with Manchester City still to take on Burnley at Turf Moor in the Premier League, as well as Southampton at Wembley Stadium in the FA Cup semi-final. Pep Guardiola could issue an update on Dias’ fitness and the extent of the injury when he faces the media in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, with the second-half of the media address to be released on Saturday night. How Pep Guardiola will replace Ruben Dias The absence of Ruben Dias places pressure on the newly-formed, and impressive partnership of Marc Guehi and Abdukodir Khusanov , who have been tasked with marshalling the defence during this crucial run-in.