What Manchester City XI vs Arsenal could be as John Stones joins four other doubtful stars
Arsenal mighthave concerns of their own following Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes all pulling out of international duty for their respective countries but Manchester City have had something of a nightmare. Pep Guardiola is preparing for the arrival of his former protégé Mikel Arteta on Sunday when the two sides face off in one of the clashes of the season.
The result will be monumental for the title race and a win for either would put them in the driving seat whilst Liverpool will be hoping for a draw much like Arsenal did when Jurgen Klopp hosted City.But the international break has taken a serious toll on the home side’s squad.
Erling Haaland limped out of an early training session with Norway but started both games alongside Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard against Czechia and Slovakia. Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne did not even go to the squad with Belgium as he nurses a groin injury — while he has been spotted in training this week, he remains a doubt.
Jack Grealish returned to the bench against Newcastle United for the FA Cup win. However, he too did not join up with his country as England took on Brazil and Belgium.
In both friendlies for the Three Lions, things went wrong for City. First against Brazil, Kyle Walker came off in the opening 20 minutes of action and was replaced by Ezri Konsa.
Meanwhile, in the 2-2 draw with Belgium, John Stones was substituted after 10 minutes for Joe Gomez. Walker returned to City ahead of the second game, while there remains little information on whether Stones will be fit for the weekend — though it would seem unlikely with a muscle issue.
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