Manchester City are hitting form at the perfect time as they chase down Arsenal, but Pep Guardiola still has several injury concerns within his squad
Nico O'Reilly looks on
Nico O'Reilly is an injury concern for Manchester City(Image: PA)
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Manchester City have ramped up the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal after easing past Chelsea 3-0 on Sunday. Goals from Nico O'Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku secured a vital win in the title race.
City's confidence will have grown after watching Mikel Arteta's men suffer a surprise 2-1 loss at home to Bournemouth on Saturday. And now Pep Guardiola's side are six points off the Gunners, with a game in hand.
Both teams will face off in a potential title decider next Sunday at the Etihad Stadium in what is set to be a thrilling end to the campaign. While City will feel good about their chances, Guardiola has several injury concerns in his squad.
Nico O'Reilly, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol are all either injury doubts or ruled out completely for the foreseeable future. Below is a look at the latest on City's injured players...
Nico O'Reilly
Injury: Hamstring
O'Reilly pulled up near the halfway line against Chelsea and needed immediate attention from the City medical staff. He appeared to hold his right hamstring as he went down and was forced to come off, with Rayan Ait Nouri coming on in his absence.
Potential return date: Unknown
Ruben Dias
Injury: Ankle
Dias missed the FA Cup win over Liverpool with an injury picked up in training. The Portugal international was not fit enough to return to the squad for the trip to Chelsea and must be considered a doubt for the crunch clash with Arsenal.
"He is getting better but he is not ready for Sunday," said Guardiola before the Chelsea game.
Potential return date: Arsenal (H) April 19
John Stones
Injury: Thigh
Stones has suffered an injury-hit campaign and was forced to pull out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad last month. He missed the win over Liverpool as a result and did not feature against Chelsea.
"He will maybe do partial training today," said Guardiola on Friday.
Potential return date: Burnley (A), April 22
Josko Gvardiol
Injury: Leg
The Croat broke his leg in the reverse fixture with Chelsea in January and remains a long-term absentee. He might recover in time for the closing weeks of the season but there is no guarantee given he will want to be fully-fit for the World Cup this summer.
"He is getting better too, but still he is not close," said Guardiola on Friday.
Potential return date: May