Manchester City have lost a key prop ahead of the derby. Rúben Dias will be out for up to 6 weeks

Rúben Dias suffered a hamstring injury in the cup game against Peterborough. He is estimated to be out for up to 6 weeks. The Portuguese stopper will also miss Sunday’s derby with Manchester United.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola announced at a lunchtime press conference that he will have to do without the team’s key stopper Ruben Dias.

The Portuguese was pivotal for Manchester City especially last season when he led the team to win the Premier League and reach the Champions League final.

This season, the Amadora native is not giving such a rocky performance, but he is still one of the key players for the Citizens.

Dias’s midfield partner Nathan Aké was also injured in the FA Cup match against Peterborough. He too will not be able to take part in the Manchester derby.

However, Citizens’ Spanish manager Guardiola hopes that Aké might return from the sickbed before Rúben Dias.

Aymeric Laporte and John Stones have already replaced Aké with Dias against Peterborough. Now they are very likely to play against Manchester United as well.

Guardiola will have to accept that he only has two healthy stoppers in the current situation. In a title fight, this could mean quite a big inconvenience. The Pale Blues have a six-point lead on second-placed Liverpool, but the Merseyside team still has one more game to play.

Source: Manchester Evening News, Manchester CIty