The FA Cup quarter-finals don’t come much bigger than this. When Manchester City host Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on April 4, Pep Guardiola’s side will be desperate to assert themselves as genuine cup contenders – but the path there is already littered with injury concern.
Pep Guardiola’s side have already got the best of the Reds twice this season, and Arne Slot will be under pressure to progress in the cup having lost to Brighton 2-1 in the Premier League before the international break.
It has been a gruelling season on the treatment table for City’s squad, with defensive injuries in particular piling up throughout the campaign. Josko Gvardiol’s broken leg ruled the Croatian out for the foreseeable future, while Mateo Kovacic has had a torrid time managing an Achilles issue that required surgery twice.
The midfielder only briefly returned to action before suffering a relapse, and his availability remains uncertain heading into April. City’s defensive ranks were further tested when Ruben Dias was sidelined with a hamstring problem, and Phil Foden sustained an ankle knock on international duty – though early reports suggest the playmaker’s injury is not as serious as first feared, with the Carabao Cup winners hopeful he could yet feature against Liverpool.
Despite the mounting concerns across the squad, it was news from the international break that landed with the biggest thud at the Etihad. John Stones, who had only just returned to form after a thigh injury ruled him out for a significant chunk of the winter, has now been sent back to Manchester City’s training base after suffering a calf problem while on England duty.
The centre-back did not feature in England’s 1-1 friendly draw against Uruguay at Wembley, with an England statement reading:
“John Stones is returning to Manchester City for assessment after picking up an issue in training prior to Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay.”
Liverpool, themselves battling their own absentee list with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Conor Bradley, Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo all potentially ruled out – although the Swedish striker is targeting a return in time to face PSG in the Champions League.
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