Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Nathan Ake will miss Manchester City’s Premier League match against Arsenal on Wednesday due to injury.
City will take on Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium knowing that a win will put them in a great position to retain their Premier League crown.
Arsenal are currently five points clear at the top of the league standings, although Mikel Arteta’s side have played two games more than closest chasers City.
City were on FA Cup duty over the weekend, beating Sheffield United 3-0 in the semi-final at Wembley, but still managed to make up ground in the title race.
Arsenal drew 3-3 with Southampton on Friday evening – their third consecutive draw – meaning that City’s title destiny will remain in their hands even if they draw with the league leaders.
The match still remains an important one though, as defeat would hand the initiative back to Arsenal.
If City are to build on their 16-match unbeaten run then they will have to do so without the help of Nathan Ake.
Ake ruled out
Ake sustained a hamstring injury during City’s 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich last week, and on Tuesday Guardiola confirmed that the defender will miss the Arsenal game.
“Hopefully he can come back soon, get well soon, but for tomorrow he is not ready,” the City boss said.
Guardiola added that he does not know if Ake will be back for the first leg of City’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid on 9 May or the second leg on 17 May.
When asked how City will cope with Ake’s absence, Guardiola said: “We will find the right player to do it, I don’t have doubts about that, we’ll play without him.”
MCN view: Losing Ake is a bigger blow than many would have expected
Last season few City fans would have batted an eyelid if Ake was ruled out of a big game, but this campaign the Dutchman has been a key figure.
Since Guardiola introduced a defensive back three when City have possession, Ake has been a near-constant fixture in the starting XI.
The 28-year-old looks much more comfortable tucking into centre-back from left-back rather than into midfield, and has provided much-needed defensive solidity to the backline.
Aymeric Laporte is the obvious candidate to replace Ake, although he doesn’t offer the same kind of mobility and pace that can be crucial when defending on the flank.
Guardiola could turn to Bernardo Silva, who played at left-back when City defeated Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium back in February.
While the Portuguese star excelled tucking into midfield, his defensive weaknesses were at times exposed by Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka.
Sergio Gomez is another option, but while the Spaniard impressed at Wembley on Saturday, Guardiola has been reluctant to use him in the most important matches this season.
