Arsenal receive boost as Man City star is now 'huge' injury doubt ahead of Premier League title race clash

It's good news for Arsenal and bad news for Manchester City ahead of their highly-anticipated Premier League clash on Sunday, March 31 - Sky Blues star John Stones is a 'huge' injury doubt.

According to the Daily Star, the 29-year-old England international was taken off in the first half of the Three Lions' 2-2 draw with Belgium on Tuesday evening with a groin strain - his availability at the weekend has now been thrown into uncertainty as a result.

Stones has had multiple injuries over the course of the 2023/24 campaign. Perhaps most notably, he missed the first seven league games due to a hip injury - due to this, he has been limited to 14 Premier League appearances this season, scoring a single goal along the way.

How will the loss of John Stones affect Manchester City against Arsenal?

Over the last couple of seasons, Stones has arguably been City's best defender. After a shaky start to life at the Etihad Stadium, the former Barnsley academy graduate has largely ironed out all the mistakes that used to plague his game - you will seldom see him commit an error at this stage of his career.

Not only does he allow the Citizens to play out from the back seamlessly, he is also a very brave defender - Stones is always willing to put his body on the line if it means he can prevent a goal. In many ways, he has turned into the archetypal modern centre-half.

As such, should Stones be unable to play on Sunday afternoon, it would be a severe blow to City's chances. Of course, they have plenty of other quality defenders who can take his place, such as Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake - it is a blow, but it is not a complete disaster for Pep Guardiola's men.