Pep Guardiola will have to deal with two notable absences when his Manchester City welcome Arsenal in a highly-anticipated Premier League clash on Sunday. In a press conference, the Spanish coach confirmed neither Kyle Walker nor John Stones will be available for this match.
“Kyle and John are out, it is what it is,” Guardiola said. Both players picked up injuries while on international duty with the English national team during the March friendlies.
Walker was subbed off during the 1-0 loss to Brazil at Wembley due to muscle discomfort after making a huge save on the line. Stones also suffered a muscle injury but in the following friendly against Belgium.
This is definitely a huge blow for the Citizens considering how high the stakes will be this weekend. We’re talking about a potentially season-defining game for both sides, with the top spot of the standings on the line.
Arsenal are currently leading the Premier League table with 64 points after 28 games, gaining the upper hand on Liverpool due to goal difference, with Manchester City just one point shy.
Mikel Arteta on facing mentor Guardiola with title hopes at stake
The Gunners’ manager Mikel Arteta also addressed the media before the upcoming game, in which he’ll face his mentor. Unsurprisingly, he had nothing but praise for Pep.
“My admiration and what I feel for him certainly hasn’t changed,”Arteta said. “In my opinion he’s the best coach in the world by a mile and he’s one of the nicest people that I’ve met in football. Certainly he’s one of the ones that I’ve had the most fun and laughter working with. That’s going to stay there forever.”
Last season, Arsenal have infamously blown an eight-point difference at the start of April 2023 to see City surpass them and take home the title. The Sky Blues beat the London side 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium in a game that proved to be a turning point in the final stretch of the campaign, which is why many can’t wait to see how things unfold this time.
“We have done a lot to be in the position that we are, but we need to go day by day, train well, prepare every match. We’ve done a lot to be where we are now we have to embrace that position and go for it,” Arteta added. “You have to make strong steps to be there and I think we’ve done big ones in recent seasons. We’re getting much closer and now it’s how we close that gap and try to be better than them.”