Manchester City face another must-win Premier League fixture this weekend as City host Brentford at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s side simply must pick up all three points against Keith Andrews’ side to remain in the title race. There is no other alternative for City this weekend. Ahead of this weekend’s must-win match, City have received a major boost on the injury front. Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias have returned to training after lengthy injury layoffs. It remains to be seen if either player will feature this weekend, but it is good news for City to have both players back in training.
Manchester City have received a major boost for the run-in.
Sky Sports reported yesterday that Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol both joined their Manchester City teammates in training yesterday. The bad news for City was that Rodri wasn’t spotted training with his teammates in Manchester City’s opening training session yesterday.
In a gallery shared on mancity.com, Josko Gvardiol was seen training for the first time since he sustained a right tibial fracture against Chelsea on Sunday. The Croatian defender shared the image via X which can be seen below.
Having Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol back is big for City.
It remains to be seen if either of Josko Gvardiol or Ruben Dias are ready to play against Brentford tomorrow at the Etihad Stadium. It seems unlikely that Josko Gvardiol will be ready to play just yet. The Croatian defender has been sidelined since January due to injury. It is highly unlikely that City will take any risks with his fitness. The fact that Gvardiol is training again is good news in itself. It now remains to be seen when Josko Gvardiol will return to the Manchester City matchday squad.
Ruben Dias hasn’t played in the past seven matches that Manchester City has played. His last appearance for City came when they were beaten 2-1 in the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg tie by Real Madrid. The leadership and presence of Dias has was missed by City during their 3-3 draw with Everton on Monday. The hope being that the presence of Ruben Dias either on the bench, or on the pitch, can add leadership to City’s ranks. They will need it for their final games of this season.
The Manchester City squad now looks stronger that Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol are back training. It remains to be seen when either player will return to the City matchday squad. Irrespective of this, having two quality defenders back in training is a boost in itself for Pep Guardiola’s side.