Manchester City Injury Update (7/1/2026): Nico Gonzalez, Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias,

Gilabola.com – Manchester City’s injury list is again in the spotlight ahead of the busy period of the match Premier Leaguewith Pep Guardiola threatened with losing up to nine players when he hosts Brighton at the Etihad Stadium, Thursday 02.30 WIB.

This situation means that Manchester City’s preparations are not going ideal. Apart from the absence of several key players due to injury, two other names are also currently unavailable due to international duties at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Congested Schedule and Absence of Key Players

Manchester City will face Brighton with a thin squad. Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are currently defending their country in the Africa Cup of Nations, while a number of key players have to be sidelined due to physical problems.

Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias are the two latest victims. The club has confirmed Gvardiol’s condition through an official statement, while Guardiola himself provided an update regarding Dias’ injury.

Josko Gvardiol could be absent until the end of the season

If Guard confirmed to have broken his leg. The defender from Croatia will undergo surgery in the near future, with a further evaluation process still being carried out to find out the severity of the injury.

With these conditions, Gvardiol has the potential not to appear again until the end of this season. The return target is estimated to be in May.

Ruben Dias and Oscar Bobb are still on the sidelines

Ruben Dias had to be withdrawn in the match against Chelsea. Guardiola confirmed that the Portuguese defender has a hamstring injury and is expected to be out for four to six weeks, with a possible return at the end of January.

Nico Gonzalez was absent from the match against Chelsea, but the midfielder has been declared fit and ready to appear against Brighton.

Meanwhile, Savinho, who was withdrawn during the match against Sunderland on New Year’s Day, is still not ready to return. Oscar Bobb is also yet to recover from a thigh injury suffered in the League Cup match against Brentford and is expected to only be able to play at the end of January.

Stones and Kovacic Still Under Monitoring

John Stone is approaching the recovery period, but Manchester City doesn’t seem to want to take the risk of starting him too quickly, especially because of the crisis at the back. Stones’ return target is the match against Manchester United on January 17 WIB.

Mateo Kovacic is another name that is still waiting for confirmation. Guardiola previously said City would wait for the midfielder until the end of the season. An ankle problem with slight calcification means Kovacic has only recorded minutes as a substitute this season. He is expected to return in February.

Gilabola.com’s views

In our opinion, Manchester City’s injury came at a very less than ideal moment. The busy schedule demands consistency, but the condition of the squad forces Guardiola to continue improvising. This will be a real test of the depth of the City team, as well as proof of whether they are able to remain stable despite losing many important players.