Pep Guardiola delivers injury update on Rúben Dias, John Stones and Joško Gvardiol before Manchester City face Chelsea
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has provided a fresh injury update ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
City head into the fixture knowing victory is essential if they are to keep the pressure on league leaders Arsenal. Despite trailing by nine points, Guardiola’s side still have a game in hand and remain firmly in the title race.
While the focus will be on the importance of the result, much of the attention has centred on City’s defensive situation, with several key centre-backs currently sidelined.
Defensive injuries pile up for City
Rúben Dias, who missed both the Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal and the emphatic 4-0 FA Cup victory against Liverpool, remains unavailable after suffering a hamstring injury in March.
“He’s getting better but he’s not ready for Sunday,” Guardiola said.
There are also concerns over John Stones, who was absent from the squad against Liverpool following a calf issue picked up while on international duty with England.
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“Today maybe he will do a partial training, we will see,” Guardiola added on Stones.
The 31-year-old is unlikely to feature at Stamford Bridge in what has been another injury-troubled campaign.
Meanwhile, Joško Gvardiol is also not yet close to making a comeback. The Croatian defender has not featured for Manchester City since the reverse fixture against Chelsea on January 4.
“He’s getting better, but still he’s not close [to returning],” Guardiola confirmed.
With multiple absentees in defence, Guardiola is expected to rely on alternative options. Marc Guéhi and Abdukodir Khusanov impressed in the win over Liverpool and are likely to continue as the central defensive pairing.
Elsewhere, Matheus Nunes could again fill in at right-back, while Nico O’Reilly is expected to keep his place on the left following a series of strong performances.
With key defenders still sidelined, City will need to show resilience as they head into a crucial stage of the season.
