Manchester City have suffered a significant injury blow ahead of their top-of-the-table Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday
Star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was forced off the field during Manchester City’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan on Wednesday, raising the possibility of a serious injury setback.
In the 43rd minute of the game, De Bruyne, who played just 45 minutes at the Etihad Stadium, seemed to be hurt. The Belgian was substituted shortly before halftime after being seen holding his groin. This injury could have major repercussions for City, particularly since Arsenal, their Premier League title rivals, will be visiting shortly.
Just before being substituted, the midfielder had taken a corner and tried to take a shot on Yann Sommer of Inter Milan. On the other hand, both teammates and fans expressed concern when they saw him kneeling and holding his groin.
As Arsenal gears up for their Champions League opener against Atalanta on Thursday, manager Mikel Arteta is also battling injury concerns. Five members of the first team, including captain Martin Odegaard, who is out due to ligament damage he sustained while playing for Norway internationally, were not present at training.
Odegaard suffered “significant” damage to his ankle, which Arteta confirmed on Wednesday. As a result, Odegaard will miss the upcoming Champions League match against Atalanta.
According to the scan, there is significant damage to the ligament in his ankle, Arteta said. Martin will be absent for some time. The injury to one of the ankle ligaments in particular will prevent him from playing.
Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori was spotted during training and is anticipated to be included in the team heading to Italy. Calafiori recently missed Arsenal’s North London Derby due to a calf injury. Bukayo Saka, who was substituted in the Spurs game due to cramps, took part in training as well.
But Odegaard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney, and summer signing Mikel Merino are still absent from Arteta’s roster. Tierney is still recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained during the European Championship.
