(Football news) However, neither of those came to fruition, as they were held to a drab 0-0 draw by their Italian counterparts at the Etihad Stadium, while one of their key players was withdrawn with an injury.

Indeed, Kevin De Bruyne was handed a start as captain for the Citizens, but he was taken off at half time not long after he was seen clutching his groin area.

The 33-year-old, who missed the first six months of last season with a torn hamstring, appeared to sustain his injury against Inter when sprinting towards goal to close down goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

Speaking after the match, manager Pep Guardiola said that Manchester City doctors informed him at half time that De Bruyne was “not ready to play” in the second half, and the Catalan coach “will have more info” about the severity of the playmaker’s injury on Thursday when he undergoes a scan.

Manchester City, who are already having to cope without Nathan Ake (muscle) and Oscar Bobb (leg fracture), lock horns with Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Sunday, and here, let’s take a look at why the potential absence of De Bruyne would be a major blow for the Citizens as well as a massive boost for the Gunners.

De Bruyne loves playing against Arsenal

Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders to have ever graced the Premier League, De Bruyne is Manchester City’s longest-serving player within Guardiola’s current first-team squad having recently entered his 10th season at the club.

The Belgium international has made a total of 388 appearances for the Citizens across all competitions, scoring 103 goals and registering 171 assists.

De Bruyne is a three-time Premier League Playmaker Award winner and has notched up an impressive 113 assists in the English top flight, the second-most in history and only bettered by Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs (162).

Manchester City’s No.17 has built a reputation for both setting up goals and making the net ripple, and he has done plenty of that over the years against Arsenal, who have been one of his favourite teams to face during his illustrious career if you take a closer look at the statistics.

Since joining Manchester City in 2015, De Bruyne has played against Arsenal a total of 21 times across all competitions, facing the Gunners more than any other team along with his former club Chelsea (also 21).

In that time, the playmaker has won 14 matches with Man City; only against Burnley (15) has he won more games against a single opponent in his entire career.

De Bruyne has also scored eight goals in those 21 matches against Arsenal – at least three more than he has achieved against any other opponent in his career – and has provided five assists.

De Bruyne’s brilliance has been pivotal in successes over Arsenal

All of De Bruyne’s eight goals scored against Arsenal have come in the Premier League across six matches, and only once have City failed to come out on top when the Belgian has made the net ripple – a 2-2 home draw in May 2016.

De Bruyne has scored five of his eight goals against the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium, including the opening goal in a 3-1 victory in November 2017.

Manchester City did the double over Arsenal in 2019-20 and 2022-23, with De Bruyne scoring six goals and providing two assists across those four Premier League matches.

In 2019-20, De Bruyne netted a superb brace in a 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium before scoring again on home soil in City’s triumph by the same scoreline.

Three seasons later, the playmaker scored a delicious lob and registered an assist in a 3-1 away win over the Gunners, before putting in a man-of-the-match display with two goals and one assist recorded in an imperious 4-1 victory at the Etihad.

De Bruyne’s impact in contests against Arsenal over the years has been unquestionable and Mikel Arteta’s men will be keen to avoid coming up against the Belgian once again on Sunday.

They could well be in luck now that the playmaker is nursing an injury, and should he fail to recover in time for Sunday, Guardiola will presumably turn to last season’s Premier League Player of the Season Phil Foden, who has contributed with just one goal and two assists in seven previous top-flight battles with Arsenal.

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