Manchester City will give injury doubts Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker until matchday to prove their fitness for the FA Cup semi-final clash with Liverpool. And that is good news for the Blues' season as it implies that the two respective injuries, both picked up in the goalless draw with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, are not serious.
The two problems cast a shadow over City's delight at booking a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, amid fears that both could miss key games at a crucial stage of the season. After the Wembley clash with Jurgen Klopp's team, City face Premier League home games against Brighton, in four days' time, and Watford the following weekend.
On a more positive note, Guardiola confirmed that Ruben Dias is in the mix for the game tomorrow. The centre-back has been out for almost a month after tweaking a hamstring in the FA Cup win at Peterborough but was on the bench in Madrid.
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De Bruyne was forced off in the second half of the Blues' 0-0 draw with Atletico which secured their place in the Champions League semi-final and was spotted with an ice pack on his ankle as he watched the remainder of the game from the bench. Walker was also substituted in that game with what seemed to be an ankle twist, despite trying to play on after suffering the initial damage.
Walker was later pictured wearing a protective boot on the affected leg, not always a sign of serious damage, as it is often precautionary, while De Bruyne had a limp after suffering a gash that required stitches - neither player trained today. Said Guardiola, whose squad trained at Millwall's The Den ground after flying straight to London from Madrid: "We will see tomorrow about De Bruyne and Walker. Ruben Dias trained today and we will see about him."
Guardiola added that Walker's ankle was maybe not too bad - otherwise he would have gone off straight away instead of playing on: "He wouldn't have remained on the pitch. He had a big twist but it is getting better. In football, these kinds of things happen but we will adapt and adjust."
The injuries add to City's problems after Guardiola said his team were tired in the second half against Atletico, while Liverpool were able to rest seven of their key stars in an easy second leg at home against Benfica. But Guardiola refused to seize any hint of an excuse: "It is what it is. It looks like I am trying to find an excuse but it is what it is. I have said it many times about the schedule. Nothing is going to change. We are grateful to be in the semi-final of the FA Cup."
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