Man City injury blow for Arsenal title showdown as star man ruled out

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Ruben Dias will miss Manchester City’s game against Arsenal after failing to recover from an ankle injury. The top two meet in a crunch title showdown at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.

Just six points separate the two sides in the table, but City will be without Dias for the game, who has not only failed to recover from the ankle injury he picked up last month but is also not expected to play again this month. Pep Guardiola is expected to give an update on the defender when he speaks to the media on Friday afternoon.

Nathan Ake partnered Abdukodir Khusanov against Arsenal at Wembley in the League Cup final, and then Marc Guehi stepped in for Ake for the Liverpool and Chelsea matches. Guardiola will likely turn to that pair again but has some thinking to do as City look to take the initiative in the title race.

With Dias joining Josko Gvardiol on the sidelines and doubts over the fitness of John Stones , the Blues could have just three senior centre-backs for two games coming up in the next four days that could make their season. City welcome an Arsenal team that are struggling to hold onto their season.

Defeat in the Carabao Cup final was followed by a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Championship side Southampton and then a home defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League that has opened the door for their nearest rivals. If City are able to beat Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday, they will have the chance to go top of the table for the first time in months when they head to Burnley on Wednesday.

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While City's game in hand in the title race is against Palace and will not be played until the final weeks of the season, their match with the Clarets has been moved forward owing to City's FA Cup semi-final with Southampton next weekend.

Speaking about the game on In The Mixer, brought to you by Sky Bet, City star Antoine Semenyo said: "Our form over the last couple of games has been good and we’re playing probably the best football we’ve played in the second half of the season.

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"So it’s a good time to play them, I guess. Where they’ve dipped in form, we’ve picked up form, so it’ll be interesting."

Before he added: "We were excited, to be honest. I feel like we're ready for the game Sunday. It's gonna be a big one. Title-deciding, maybe? I don't know.

"But it's gonna be a tough game, don't get me wrong. They've obviously lost against Bournemouth, but they're still top of the table. We're still chasing them. So we have to give them respect in that sense."

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