Manchester City stance on Kevin De Bruyne fitness for Arsenal clash comes to light after he misses international break: Reports
Manchester City are reportedly confident Kevin De Bruyne will be fit to face Arsenal despite sitting out the international break.
ESPN's Rob Dawson reports that the Cityzens hope to have De Bruyne available for their encounter with the Gunners on Sunday (March 31). Mikel Arteta's league leaders visit the Etihad in a clash of massive title implications.
De Bruyne skipped participation with Belgium during the international break due to a slight knock. But, he took part in training with Manchester City's U23s on Tuesday (March 26).
The Belgian playmaker is expected to resume first-team training on Thursday which is a massive boost for Pep Guardiola. The 32-year-old has impressed since returning from a long-term hamstring injury.
De Bruyne has registered two goals and 13 assists in 14 games across competitions this season. He has a fine record against Arsenal which Guardiola will be aware of as he's managed eight goals and five assists in 20 games.
However, he was surprisingly subbed off in City's 1-1 draw with Liverpool before the international break. Guardiola exchanged words with the Belgium international but insisted afterward that he liked his player's angry response.
Manchester City trail the Gunners in the title race by one point as they occupy third place. Arteta's men sit top of the league, level on points with Liverpool but with a superior goal difference (7).
Manchester City's Kyle Walker reportedly has a 50/50 chance of facing Arsenal
Kyle Walker picked up an injury while on international duty with England this week. The Cityzens right-back was forced off with a hamstring problem in the Three Lions' 1-0 loss to Brazil at Wembley on Saturday (March 23).
Sky Sports reports that Walker will undergo a scan on his hamstring to learn the extent of the injury. He's rated 50/50 to appear for Manchester City in their encounter with Arsenal.
Walker's potential absence could be hugely problematic given there are question marks over Manuel Akanji and John Stones' fitness. The latter also sustained an injury with England in a 2-2 draw with Belgium on Tuesday.
Ruben Dias can be expected to start despite being benched for the draw against Liverpool last time out. The Portuguese defender played the full 90 minutes in Portugal's 5-2 thrashing of Sweden in a friendly (March 21).
Guardiola has been handed somewhat of a defensive injury nightmare ahead of Arsenal's visit to the Etihad. They face a free-scoring Gunners side who are in red-hot form, winning their last eight consecutive league games.