April 15, (THEWILL) – Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker will be unavailable for Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool on Saturday.
De Bruyne left Wednesday’s tense 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid with 25 minutes remaining after seeming to damage his ankle, 10 minutes before Walker had a similar injury.
Pep Guardiola is preparing his squad without both De Bruyne and Walker, with a trip to Wembley to play arch rivals Liverpool, whom Guardiola has labelled “annoying”, just around the corner.
The Belgian midfielder was photographed with an ice pack around his right ankle, which he injured following a kick from Atletico Madrid’s Felipe early in the game but attempted to play through.
Walker, on the other hand, is seen as a serious doubt for the fixture because of his own injury problem. Joao Cancelo will likely go to right-back, with Oleksandr Zinchencko filling in on the left.
Fortunately for City, none of the players poses a long-term threat. De Bruyne was walking alone when he returned to the United Kingdom, and he is not believed to have sustained any serious injuries. Only that the timing of the Liverpool game has not been in his favour.
In the following days, both De Bruyne and Walker will be subjected to additional tests.
Pep Guardiola has already expressed his fears over City’s injury problems, acknowledging that the team was in serious difficulty following the Atletico encounter.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
