Pep Guardiola issues concerning fitness update ahead of Manchester derby

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has provided an update on his side’s fitness ahead of Saturday’s derby clash with Manchester United.

The Blues have picked up two wins in two in cup competitions in the last week, having started 2026 with three Premier League draws on the spin against Sunderland, Chelsea and Brighton – leaving Guardiola and co six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Antoine Semenyo has made a flying start to life in sky blue since arriving from Bournemouth for £64 million last week, scoring and assisting on his Manchester City debut in a 10-1 FA Cup win over Exeter City at the weekend before scoring a crucial opener away at Newcastle in midweek.

City cannot afford many more dropped points in the Premier League title race with Arsenal, with the stakes as high as they can get in Saturday’s Manchester derby, with the red side of the city set to managed by interim manager Michael Carrick after the recent sacking of Ruben Amorim.

Guardiola remains without Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, with the duo having pulled off with injury in Manchester City’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Chelsea at the start of the month – a personnel situation that forced the club to recall academy star Max Alleyne from loan at Watford.

Speaking in a press conference on Friday afternoon, Guardiola has provided an update on the injured duo as well as John Stones , who is yet to feature for the Blues since suffering a leg injury in early December.

“Ruben (Dias) will be back soon, Josko (Gvardiol) no, John (Stones) hopefully – we’ll see,” the Manchester City manager said.

Dias is recovering from a hamstring injury, with Gvardiol understood to have undergone surgery after suffering a tibial fracture on his right leg against Chelsea, raising doubts over his availability for Croatia at this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

Stones’ Manchester City future remains up in the air as he enters the last six months of his current deal, with no conversations currently tabled to extend his contract beyond the summer.

Guardiola has indicated that a decision on the 31-year-old’s future will be taken firmly on his availability during the last few years, wherein he has struggled to maintain his fitness and convince Guardiola of his long-term prospects.

Elsewhere in defence, Nathan Ake has been linked with a January exit from the Etihad Stadium but recent injuries in defence mean that sanctioning an exit would be a tricky proposition for Manchester City .

Alleyne has also exceeded expectations since his emergency return to the north-west, with an expectation that the 20-year-old could stay at Manchester City permanently next season as Stones and Ake face possible exits.