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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Kyle Walker and John Stones will miss their potential Premier League title-deciding clash against Arsenal on Sunday (March 31).
Both Walker and Stones were unscathed prior to this campaign's final international break. However, Walker pulled up in England's 1-0 friendly loss against Brazil past week. Stones, meanwhile, sustained a groin injury in the 2-2 draw against Belgium earlier this Tuesday.
During a recent pre-match press conference, Guardiola was asked to shed light on the defensive pair's condition ahead of their contest against Arsenal. He confirmed that neither Walker nor Stones will be available.
Asked to opine on the stars' injuries, Guardiola responded (h/t MEN):
"It is what it is. You have to see the calendar that we have. If we want to fight in all competitions, we need all the players. We have enough and the calendar doesn't look good for us, but it is what it is. It's good to be here with two titles and in contention for three after what happened last season. We made incredible work."
Walker, 33, has almost been an ever-present figure for Manchester City so far this season. He has started 37 of his 38 appearances across competitions, registering three assists from right-back in the process.
Stones, on the other hand, has been in and out of the Cityzens' squad this season. The 29-year-old defender has made just 22 appearances for Guardiola's side after recovering from a hip problem last October.
Emmanuel Petit believes Arsenal will defeat Manchester City in league clash on Sunday
Speaking to the Planet Premier League podcast, ex-Gunners star Emmanuel Petit asserted that Arsenal will do a league double over Manchester City this campaign. He said (h/t BBC):
"So many people ask me what I think about this game. I think it will be different to what happened last season. At the same stage, Arsenal were sitting at the top of the table and dropped points in the last few games and then they lost it mentally. But, I think they have grown up a lot and I think this is the perfect time to play against City just because they have so many doubts about injuries."
Mikel Arteta's side, who crashed to a 4-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium last season, beat Manchester City 1-0 in the Premier League earlier this campaign. They will be aiming to register their first triumph away at the Cityzens since January 2015 in the upcoming weekend.
Arsenal, who lost the league title by five points last time around, are atop the 2023-24 Premier League table with 64 points from 28 outings. Manchester City are third with 63 points from 28 league matches as well.
