Manchester City suffer Ruben Dias injury blow: Details here
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that defender Ruben Dias will be out for up to four weeks with a muscular issue. The Portuguese had missed all five matches in November due to a calf problem but returned at the start of December. However, he won't be available for their upcoming match against Aston Villa on Saturday. Guardiola said the same in a press conference on Friday.
Guardiola uncertain about Ederson's fitness
Apart from Dias's absence, Guardiola was also unsure about the fitness of goalkeeper Ederson. "Ruben is out for a long time and Ederson I don't know if he will be ready tomorrow," he said in Friday's press conference ahead of this weekend's game. "[On Dias] Three or four weeks. Muscular. "[He played] 75 minutes against United. He felt something but he is so strong and wanted to stay on the pitch," the Spaniard added.
Akanji and Stones return to full training
Despite the injury setbacks, there is some good news for Manchester City. Manuel Akanji and John Stones have returned to full training. The Swiss international was forced off at half-time of the victory over Nottingham Forest earlier this month while Stones hasn't been on the pitch since November's defeat to Spurs. "Manuel and John are back in training," Guardiola confirmed. "That is good for us. As many players that are back the better."
Rico Lewis available for squad selection
Rico Lewis, who was suspended for last week's Manchester derby, is available for selection again. This comes as City gears up to face Aston Villa in their next match. The team currently sits fifth in the Premier League table after a tough run of form. Unai Emery's Villa are just two places and two points behind them before kick-off.
Manchester City have one win in 11 matches across competitions
With their latest defeat to Man United, City have won once in their last 11 matches across competitions. Barring a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, Guardiola's men own eight defeats and two draws. The Citizens have conceded a whopping 25 goals in 11 matches. Notably, they have conceded two-plus goals in 10 matches. On the other hand, they have scored only 13 goals.
Poor run of form in the Premier League
City have played 7 Premier League matches in this run of 11 games. They have won once, drawn once and lost 5. City have conceded 14 goals in these 7 matches in addition to scoring 8 goals.
