Defender John Stones won’t be ready to play Premier League championship challengers Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. The 2023–24 season has been off to a strong start for both teams, with the Citizens leading the league by one point over the Gunners in third and Tottenham Hotspur in second.
However, City will be without their star holding midfielder Rodri for this weekend’s game at the Emirates Stadium since the Spanish international is out on suspension after getting a straight red card last month against Nottingham Forest. Guardiola has now acknowledged that despite being on the substitutes’ list for Wednesday night’s Champions League match against RB Leipzig, center-back Stones is still injured.
After Stones, a former Everton player, was selected for England duty on Thursday, Guardiola responded, “No, Stones is not ready to play, maybe for national team but not for us. Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are both considered to be huge doubts for Sunday’s highly anticipated match, while Arsenal also has a number of injury issues.
Martinelli, who suffered a hamstring injury during a 1-0 victory away to Everton, has been out for about three weeks. Saka, a fellow teenage winger, has also recently experienced battles, picking up minor injuries against Tottenham and Bournemouth before being substituted during his team’s 2-1 loss to RC Lens on Tuesday.
But Arteta declared on Friday that the graduate of Hale End academy is a contender to take on the defending champions. When asked about the 22-year-old’s present level of fitness, the Spaniard said, “He’s in contention, let’s see how he progresses from here to Sunday.”
