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Man City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Ruben Dias will not be available to face Chelsea this weekend.
When asked about the Portuguese international’s fitness during his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, Guardiola said:
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“He’s getting better, but he’s not ready for Sunday…”
Dias is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury that kept him out for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal and the FA Cup quarter-final versus Liverpool.
Another Man City centre-back is still unavailable
As well as Dias, Guardiola also revealed that Josko Gvardiol is “not close” to making his comeback from a fractured leg.
The Croatian international picked up the injury during the reverse fixture against Chelsea at the Etihad in early January. Reports suggest he is already out of his cast and making progress in his rehabilitation, but he is in a race against time to return before the end of the campaign.
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Stones could be back for Sunday
While there was no positive news on either Dias or Gvardiol, John Stones could be available for selection again very soon.
The 31-year-old pulled out of international duty with England last month after sustaining a minor calf injury in training, and he was subsequently ruled out for the Liverpool game.
However, Guardiola says Stones may begin “partial training” today (Friday, 10th April), but that suggests it may be touch and go for him to be back in the matchday squad for the Chelsea fixture.
Based on the timescale, there is probably a better chance of the centre-half being back on the substitutes bench for the huge clash against Arsenal the following weekend.
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