Will Kevin De Bruyne be fit to face Arsenal this weekend? Pep Guardiola gives an update on the Manchester City talisman

Kevin De Bruyne is a major doubt to lead Manchester City into their Premier League clash with Arsenal this weekend.

The Belgian captain, who He loves playing against the Gunners.suffered a Groin injury during a goalless draw against Inter Milan Midweek.

De Bruyne His latest physical problem occurred in the 43rd minute of Wednesday's Champions League draw at Etihad Stadium.

The 33-year-old attempted to continue but was taken off at half-time. Pep Guardiola is evasive about his physical condition.

Will De Bruyne be fit to face Arsenal?

The attacking midfielder is a major doubt for the Gunners but Guardiola has hinted he could be fit to play.

Speaking at Friday's pre-match press conference, the Spaniard said: “It feels a bit better today, but we'll see tomorrow.

“He could be involved.”

It will be a hard blow for the visitors, since De Bruyne loves playing against Arsenalwinning 14 and losing only four of their 21 games against them.

Only one of those defeats occurred in 90 minutes, and another one technically doesn't even count in the official statistics.

That's because it came on penalties in the 2023 Community Shield, a game in which KDB also added to his goalscoring contributions for Arsenal with an assist.

In 15 Premier League appearances, De Bruyne has scored eight goals and provided four assists, the most he has ever recorded against a single opponent.

For much of their second spell in English football's top flight, City have dominated while Arsenal have become a faltering force.

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However, De Bruyne has also shone in a title clash between the two teams, scoring two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win over Mikel Artetaon the side in April 2023.

It was no surprise that Arteta's first Premier League win over City and Guardiola came while De Bruyne was injured six months later.

The Spaniard did prepare a game plan to stop the former Chelsea star during their last visit to the Etihad, a goalless draw in March.

Ironically, De Bruyne's only Premier League defeat to Arsenal remains in his first game as a Manchester City player, when Arteta was club captain at the Emirates.

The latter's injury problems ruled him out of the Gunners' 2–1 win in December 2015, with KDB starting as a right midfielder.

The following summer, Arteta hung up his boots and joined De Bruyne after joining Manchester City as a manager, unwittingly helping to build Arsenal's future bogeyman.

With the current captain of the club Kyle Walker Unfortunately, De Bruyne has also worn the City armband for most of this season.

Ruben Dias took over as captain for the second half against Inter, with Ilkay Gundogan occupying the advanced position No.8.