Yesterday saw Manchester City win the League Cup for the ninth time in club history. Pep Guardiola’s sided beat Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley Stadium in London to ensure at least one trophy this season. While Man City are eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, and not in the best place right now in terms of the Premier League title race, they have indeed locked up silverware for 2025-26. As of right now, Arsenal cannot say the same. Manchester City has another advantage up on the Gunners right now- a much shorter injury list. Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol are the club’s only two injury concerns right now, so that puts them in a good position for the run-in, which includes a clash between the two title contenders at the Etihad on April 19.
Ruben Dias
The ace central defender missed the Carabao Cup Final due to a hamstring injury. Dias came off at halftime of the 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday night, after having been an unused sub in the league draw at West Ham the previous weekend.
Expected Return Date: TBD
Josko Gvardiol
The Croatian is hoping to recover from surgery, to repair a fractured tibia that was suffered in January, in time to feature for Croatia in the World Cup. Gvardiol faces a race against the clock for that, and most likely, he won’t feature again for City this season.
Expected Return Date: Late May, if anything
Squad Injury Update Series: March 2026 Intl Break
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Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.