Football Mag

Pep Guardiola has conceded that Manchester City are set to be without Kevin De Bruyne “for a while”, but insists a knock picked up by John Stones is “not a big problem”. The reigning Premier League champions moved back to the top of the table on Saturday with a 1-0 win away at Bournemouth. Victory was most welcome, but it came at some cost. De Bruyne was forced off shortly before half-time, before Stones joined him back in the dressing room shortly after the restart. Guardiola admits that he is set to lose a Belgium international playmaker for a third time this season, but he is confident that an England international defender will return to his plans shortly. The City boss told BBC Sport: “Vincent Kompany wasn’t 100% and John Stones does not have a big problem, it was a precaution. “Kevin will be out for a while with a muscular problem, hamstring.”

Gabriel Jesus and John Stones are available for Manchester City's Premier League trip to Bournemouth but Pep Guardiola will not be able to call upon Fernandinho and Aymeric Laporte until next month. Jesus and Stones have not featured for City since the 4-1 FA Cup fifth-round win at Newport County due to respective hamstring and groin complaints. The pair are back in training ahead of Saturday's match at the Vitality Stadium but Jesus' Brazilian compatriot Fernandinho and Stones' fellow centre-back Laporte remain sidelined with the injuries they sustained during last weekend's Carabao Cup final triumph over Chelsea. Speaking at a news conference, Guardiola confirmed suggestions he made earlier this week – that Fernandinho's groin problem and Laporte's hamstring setback will keep them out of action until after the March international break. "I think after the international break they will be fit, especially Fernandinho," he said. "M...

Mesut Ozil marked his Premier League recall with a goal and an assist as Arsenalcruised to a crushing 5-1 home victory over an out of sorts Bournemouth. Named for his first top-flight start since January 29, playmaker Ozil justified Unai Emery's decision by scoring inside four minutes and providing the pass for the equally impressive Henrikh Mkhitaryan to double the advantage. Bournemouth responded through Lys Mousset but the Gunners were never threatened as they kept the pressure on third-placed Tottenham ahead of this weekend's north London derby. Mkhitaryan got two assists of his own after half-time for Laurent Koscielny and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, before substitute Alexandre Lacazette's free-kick rubbed salt into the wound of Bournemouth's ninth straight away league loss.