- Gvardiol has been out since January
- Dias and Stones missed FA Cup win vs Liverpool
- Man City travel to face Chelsea on Sunday
Manchester City have a key Premier League game at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea this Sunday and Pep Guardiola has revealed whether the club’s unavailable players are likely to be fit in time.
Manchester City face Chelsea this weekend in a match where the stakes could not be much higher and this applies to both teams.
The Sky Blues are chasing Arsenal in the Premier League title race, while Chelsea are just one point off a place in the coveted top five.
It is important that Pep Guardiola has as many players as possible at his disposal and the manager has given the latest on whether any injured players will be returning for the match.
Manchester City’s injury news
Pep Guardiola has provided some key injury update on John Stones and Ruben Dias after the duo missed the FA Cup win over Liverpool last week. They are not expected to play against the Blues this weekend, but Englishmen could still make the squad.
The Citizens managed to keep a clean sheet in the Carabao Cup win over Arsenal last month, and followed it up with a 4-0 win over Liverpool last week in the FA Cup. They have now been handed a boost with Stones returning to training.
The former Everton man is still in partial training, but Guardiola has not ruled out the chances of him making the matchday squad on Sunday, and said in his pre-match press conference: “Today maybe he will do partial training, we’ll see.”
However, it is bittersweet news for Dias, as the Portuguese defender is ruled out of the game. The manager reported that the 28-year-old is getting better and hinted that he could be back next week.
“He’s getting better. He’s not ready for Sunday,” Guardiola said.
Matteo Kovacic has recovered but Josko Gvardioal is still waiting
Josko Gvardiol has been out of action since going off injured against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium earlier this year. The Premier League clash in January ended in a 1-1 draw, but the Croatian going off injured in the 51st minute was a bigger blow for Guardiola’s side.
He suffered a tibial fracture to his right leg and is set to need more time to get back on the pitch. The Catalan boss said: “He’s getting better, but still he isn’t close.”
Mateo Kovacic has been on the bench for the last four matches after returning to training. He suffered an ankle injury earlier this season and is yet to play a minute since going off injured in late October 2025.
Guardiola has revealed that the former Chelsea midfielder is fine, hinting that he was just taking his time before getting the Croatian back on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will be without Enzo Fernandez this weekend after the Argentine was suspended by the club. Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, and Levi Colwill are back in training, but Liam Rosenior has confirmed that none of them will be available for the City clash this Sunday.
