Pep Guardiola will have to endure a double defensive setback in Manchester City’s quarter-final clash against Atletico Madrid.
The Lowdown: City’s UCL form
Sky Blues fans will be hoping for a strong start to the Champions League quarter-finals in which City kick off their first-leg against Madrid in tonight’s clash at the Etihad.
City destroyed Sporting Lisbon in the opening leg of round 16 with an emphatic 5-0 win, before coasting to a 0-0 stalemate in the return fixture.
Guardiola will be aiming to make amends for his side’s loss in the final last year, in which they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Premier League rivals Chelsea.
[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/man-city-latest-developments-2/" title="Man City latest developments!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]
The Latest: Guardiola’s team news
The Catalan boss is set to face a defensive headache in his team selection tonight as both Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker are unavailable for the game, after the latest team news emerged from Manchester Evening News.
Man City will be without centre-back stalwart Dias, who has been missing for around a month now, as the manager confirmed on Friday that he would need another ten days to two weeks to get back up to full fitness.
Walker will also serve the last of his three-match ban against the Spanish outfit, following his red card which he sustained against RB Leipzig.
The Verdict: Dias will be missed
Guardiola’s men will be ready to face a tough Madrid side tonight, who have scored 57 goals in La Liga this season - the Premier League leaders have been solid defensively in the English campaign, having lost just three top-flight games and conceded a mere 18 goals.
Despite this, City would have been hoping that Dias could have made his return in time for the opening leg, as he has been a key figure in the side’s defensive success. He has earned himself praise as “a man mountain”, who could be considered “the best centre back in the world”, with fellow defender John Stones hailing his 'outstanding' impact.
The boss will have been praying throughout the international break that his defensive leader could have returned early enough to play tonight, but it looks as though Stones and Aymeric Laporte will have to step up.
In other news: Manchester City: Pep Guardiola in awe of Ilkay Gundogan