Manchester City handed huge blow with John Stones and Aymeric Laporte ‘out for two weeks and set to MISS’ triple-header with Chelsea, PSG and Liverpool
- John Stones and Aymeric Laporte could be out for two weeks, reports suggest
- Laporte has picked up a hip and groin issue while Stones has a muscle problem
- The pair’s absence leaves Pep Guardiola with Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias
- City are preparing for a crunch week of visits to Chelsea, PSG and Liverpool
John Stones and Aymeric Laporte are reportedly serious doubts for Manchester City‘s huge trio of fixtures with the defensive pair understood to be sidelined for two weeks in a blow to Pep Guardiola.
City face a crunch week of games, starting with a trip to Stamford Bridge to face title rivals Chelsea on Saturday, followed by a clash with Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital before taking on Liverpool at Anfield.
However, Guardiola has been beleaguered by a growing list of injuries to his Premier League champions, with defensive duo Laporte and Stones’ availability facing serious doubts.
John Stones (L) and Aymeric Laporte (R) will reportedly be sidelined for the next two weeks
According to The Telegraph, the pair are expected to be out for the next two weeks, meaning they will miss all three games in a sickening blow to Guardiola.
Laporte has started the campaign strongly, featuring in wins over Norwich, Arsenal and Leicester City, but a problem in his groin and hip area has sidelined him. The Spanish international missed last Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Southampton.
Stones, meanwhile, has not featured for City this season despite a strong showing last term. The 27-year-old returned from England duty with a muscle problem which was reportedly compounded by a further setback in training.
Pep Guardiola is preparing for a crunch week of visits to Chelsea, PSG and Liverpool
The duo’s absence leaves Guardiola with Ruben Dias (L) and Nathan Ake (R) as his options
The pair’s absence leaves the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich with £40million man Nathan Ake as the only senior defender he can partner with Ruben Dias.
The Dutchman failed to hit the ground running last season after his arrival from Bournemouth, but has performed well since returning to the side.
He helped keep a clean sheet against the Saints and found the net against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, just minutes before his father passed away following illness.
Guardiola’s injury concerns are not solely limited to his defence, with midfielders Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri also nursing problems while Oleksandr Zinchenko is suffering with a calf issue.
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