Third Manchester City defender in ‘doubt’ for Arsenal showdown after Kyle Walker and John Stones injuries | OneFootball

Manchester City could be without three defensive players this weekend, after a new report revealed that Manuel Akanji is now also in ‘doubt’ for the clash with Arsenal.

The Swiss international featured in the first of his nation’s two recent international friendlies over the past fortnight, before withdrawing from the second meeting against Ireland due to a knock picked up in training.

Akanji’s problem was added to a growing list of names sustaining issues during international action for Manchester City, with defensive partners Kyle Walker and John Stones also picking up issues while on duty with England.

With Manchester City facing Arsenal this weekend, Pep Guardiola will be hoping for encouraging news regarding his ‘in doubt’ players over the next few days, however an initial diagnosis has presented further worrying news for the backline.

That is according to the information of The Sun’s Martin Blackburn, who reports that all of Kyle Walker, John Stones and now Manuel Akanji are ‘doubts’ for Sunday’s Premier League title showdown with fellow challengers Arsenal.

Stones is expected to undergo further scans and assessments with Manchester City’s medical team over the coming hours, however there is a lack of optimism when it comes to the possibility of making the line-up on Sunday afternoon.

As for Walker, it is widely believed that the Englishman’s hamstring issue is not as serious as first feared, however Manchester City could allow him the time to recover ahead of a European double-header against Real Madrid in early April.

Pep Guardiola is scheduled to face the media on Friday afternoon, when the Catalan boss will likely offer an early update on his squad after Manchester City return to training ground activities on Thursday.