Manchester City’s game against Arsenal may have just got a bit more difficult for Pep Guardiola.
The Gunners and City have gone toe-to-toe for the Premier League title in each of the last two seasons, and the expectation is that they will do the same again this campaign.
City have won every single game in the league so far and are on top of the table, while Arsenal are just two points behind in second place.
That makes the game on Sunday a massive one for both clubs, but Manchester City may have suffered a huge blow ahead of the clash at the Etihad Stadium.
Kevin De Bruyne injured ahead of Manchester City vs Arsenal
Manchester City faced Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Guardiola’s men were held to a 0-0 draw by the Italian champions, who came in with a game plan and executed it near-perfectly.
Inter were very solid defensively, and City just couldn’t find a way to get past their low block.
One of the biggest reasons for that was because Kevin De Bruyne suffered an injury that forced him off at half-time.
Guardiola revealed in his post-match press conference that he doesn’t know the severity of the injury, but he was told by the doctors at the break that De Bruyne could not continue.
Nothing is confirmed just yet, but there is a chance De Bruyne could be ruled out of the clash against Arsenal on Sunday.
That would be a massive blow for the defending champions as Arsenal are very solid at the back too, and it will be hard for them to unlock that defence without their main creator.
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Arsenal have a ‘significant’ injury too
Manchester City aren’t the only ones who have suffered an injury blow, Arsenal have too.
Martin Odegaard hurt his ankle while on international duty with Norway, and the former Real Madrid man missed the North London Derby as a result.
On Wednesday, Arteta confirmed that Odegaard has suffered ‘significant’ damage to a ligament in his ankle, and he will be out for a while now.
That is a massive blow for Arsenal as Odegaard is not just their captain but also one of their most important players on and off the pitch.
It will be interesting to see how Arteta will replace him in the coming weeks.
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