Man City injury news: Latest Ruben Dias, John Stones, Josko Gvardiol update before important Chelsea clash

Pep Guardiola has provided a fresh update on the fitness of his Manchester City squad ahead of Sunday’s important Premier League showdown with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The Citizens travel to the capital in high spirits after following up their EFL Cup final triumph over Arsenal with a statement 4-0 victory against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals last weekend.

Man City had to cope without defensive duo Ruben Dias and John Stones for both games due to respective hamstring and calf injuries.

Last week, assistant coach Pep Lijnders said that neither Dias nor Stones are dealing with long-term problems and suggested that a first-team comeback for both players is imminent.

"Ruben got a knock (last Friday) in the last minutes of training," Lijnders told reporters. "We are assessing it. I think he had a scan again, so we have to see.

"John, to be honest, I think he will not be long term, but he was not available (against Liverpool)."

Dias, Gvardiol ruled out, Stones to be assessed, Kovacic “fine”

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Guardiola has confirmed that Sunday’s trip to Chelsea will come too soon for Dias, but he did not rule out Stones being involved in some capacity.

“[Dias is] getting better. He’s not ready for Sunday,” said the Catalan coach. “Today maybe [Stones] will do partial training, we’ll see.”

Guardiola also confirmed that Josko Gvardiol remains unavailable for selection s he continues to recover from a tibial fracture sustained in the reverse fixture against Chelsea (1-1 draw) at the beginning of January.

“He’s getting better, but still he isn’t close,” Guardiola added.

In addition, Guardiola was asked to provide an fitness update on former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who has experienced a campaign impacted by a long-term ankle/heel injury that required surgery.

Kovacic has been on the substitutes’ bench for recent Man City matches, and Guardiola has confirmed that the Croatian is “fine” and ready to be involved in the final weeks of the season.

Guardiola: "We have to win every single game"

Man City are now preparing for a crucial period in their season as they attempt to close the nine-point gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal and remain in the title race.

“Hopefully we can [win] a lot of points with the situation we are in, in the Premier League,” said Guardiola. “We need to [win] all of them to give us a chance to try till the end. We were not consistent enough earlier in the season.”

Asked whether he feels more excited during April as the seasons edges closer to its conclusion, Guardiola added: “I have a lot of yellow cards – that shows how excited I am. All season I have good energy!

“We have to [win] our games. Playing sooner or later – we have to win every single game."

Man City have dropped points in their last two Premier League games against Nottingham Forest and West Ham United (drawing both), but they travel to Stamford Bridge this weekend having won four of their last five Premier League away games against Chelsea (D1).