Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that there is uncertainty surrounding the fitness of Kevin De Bruyne ahead of Sunday’s Premier League showdown with Arsenal.
Having featured in City’s first four league matches, De Bruyne retained his spot in the team for Wednesday’s Champions League encounter with Inter Milan. However, the Belgian midfielder was forced off at halftime against Inter due to a suspected groin problem.
Following De Bruyne’s withdrawal, Ilkay Gundogan took his place, but City could only manage a lackluster goalless draw in a rematch of the 2022-23 Champions League final.
In a post-match press conference, Guardiola was quizzed about De Bruyne’s availability for the upcoming Arsenal game. “I don’t know,” Guardiola responded. “I will have more info tomorrow. The doctor informed me that he was not fit to continue playing.”
Now, Guardiola faces an anxious wait to learn whether he will need to make at least one change to his lineup for the weekend fixture.
De Bruyne has a history of injury woes against Arsenal, missing three of the last eight league meetings between the two sides. With his availability uncertain, both City and Arsenal could be without key players for the highly-anticipated clash.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is already aware that he will be without Martin Odegaard, who is sidelined with a “significant” ankle injury sustained while on international duty.
The potential absence of De Bruyne adds another layer of intrigue to an already captivating contest between two of the Premier League’s top teams. Guardiola will be hoping for a positive update on De Bruyne’s condition in the coming days as City prepare to face Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
