Opponent Watch: Manchester City could be without key star for Tottenham clash

Manchester City could be without Ruben Dias for Tottenham Hotspur clash

In what comes as a big boost for Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City could well be without Ruben Dias for the key Premier League clash against Spurs on 19 January.

The Portugal international suffered a problem with his hamstring in the 2022 FIFA World Cup last 16 clash against Switzerland. However, he was still used for the entirety of the game against Morocco in the quarter-finals, where Portugal lost 1-0.

That could prove to be a costly mistake, at least from Manchester City’s perspective, as the defender is set to miss approximately a month’s action. After the Cityzen’s EFL Cup win against Liverpool on Thursday (22 December), manager Pep Guardiola confirmed Dias’ injury.

He said (h/t Metro):

“Ruben is injured. Kalvin Phillips is not fit, he did not arrive in the best condition to play.”

From a bigger perspective, this is also a potential boost for us when it comes to catching up with Manchester City in the Premier League table. They are currently in second place with 32 points.

We have played a game more, and trail them by three points. Dias would also be absent against Chelsea and Manchester United in the Premier League – two very big fixtures.

Nathan Ake, John Stones, and Aymeric Laporte are the three centre-backs that Guardiola will have at his disposal, and they aren’t slouches by any means. Spurs fans would hope that Tottenham are boosted in their defence by the time the game against City arrives.

More Tottenham Hotspur News:

• Why Oliver Skipp and Djed Spence missed Tottenham Hotspur’s friendly tie against OGC Nice
• Tottenham Hotspur in ‘pole position’ to sign Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni
• Tottenham Hotspur priced out of a move for Manchester City target Josko Gvardiol

We are in need of a truly world-class defender and Alessandro Bastoni and Josko Gvardiol are two of the biggest names linked with us. Hopefully, at least one of them is wearing Spurs white in a months’ time.