Dias and Gvardiol sidelined as Man.City face defensive crisis

Manchester City will be without Ruben Dias for up to six weeks and fellow defender Josko Gvardiol for “a long time”, manager Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday.

The club announced on Monday that centre-back Gvardiol was facing a lengthy lay-off with a tibial fracture to his right leg that he suffered in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, on the eve of City’s home game against Brighton, Guardiola confirmed the depth of the crisis in central defence, with John Stones also sidelined.

Guardiola said Dias had injured his hamstring and would be out of action for “between four and six weeks” while he did not put a timescale on Gvardiol’s return.

Referring to Stones, Guardiola said: “(He is not) ready for the next games. Of course, he’s an important player for us for a long time and he was injured for a long time last season. This season looks the same.

“He’s trying a lot and trying everything, but he’s not fit.” Guardiola, whose team are second in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Arsenal, said he was confident they could cope with the absences.

“With the spirit that we have, always we can cope,” he said.

“After what happened last season, if we stay strong we will find a solution and the spirit will be there. If the spirit is there, we will be there.”

City midfielder Nico Gonzalez also missed the Chelsea game and Guardiola is also without Savinho, Oscar Bobb, Mateo Kovacic and Omar Marmoush for Wednesday’s clash.

Guardiola confirmed Nico is available for Brighton, along with Nathan Ake while Max Alleyne has returned from his loan spell at Championship side Watford.

“Nico is fine and it’s good to have Nathan back. “Max came back from Watford, and we appreciate what they have done for the young lad,” he added.

Better news for City came with the return of Rodri, who played the full 90 minutes against Chelsea in what was his first start since October.

Rodri has been sidelined for most of the past 16 months after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in September 2024.

The influential midfielder suffered several setbacks, the latest a hamstring problem, while attempting to recover from the severe knee injury that ruled him out for much of last season.

“It’s been a terrible, terrible time for me,” said the Spain international. “Everything that comes right now is a gift, every minute that I’ve been on the pitch, it’s a joy for me.

“Thank you to God for giving me this second opportunity and to enjoy my profession and recover my smile.

“I went through the process of where you have to adjust the body in terms of the muscle. I feel strong.

“I need the rhythm of the games but for the moment of the season we are in and where I came from I feel good,” said 2024 Ballon d’Or winner.

Brighton are currently 10th in a tightly packed Premier League table, with 28 points from 20 games. However, they’re only three points behind fifth-placed Chelsea and one point ahead of 14th-placed Crystal Palace.

Saturday’s home victory over Burnley marked Brighton’s first Premier League win in seven games, a run that dates back to the end of November.

During this stretch, they’ve picked up draws against teams like West Ham and Sunderland but have also faced losses to Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Arsenal.

The two sides have met on 17 occasions in the Premier League, with City winning 12 and scoring 44.

Eight of those matches have come at the Etihad and the Blues have been victorious in seven of those.

Agencies