Savinho had to leave the pitch on a stretcher

Man City dealt huge injury blow as Arsenal rivals handed another problem in title race

31 Oct 2024, 05:00 by Matthew Abbott · football.london

Manchester City were dealt another injury blow during their Carabao Cup fourth-round tie with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night after Savinho was stretchered off the pitch in the second half, visibly distressed.

Since his summer transfer from Troyes, a member of the City Football Group, the newcomer has featured in six out of City's nine Premier League games this season. The winger joins Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish on the injury list, plus Manuel Akanji, who pulled out during the warm-up.

Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker are also injured, while Oscar Bobb and Rodri are out for months rather than weeks. Arsemal's Premier League title rivals could be without these players for their next three fixtures before the November international break.

They face Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon before jetting off to Lisbon for their upcoming Champions League league stage match against Sporting next midweek. City will then head back to the south coast to take on Brighton and Hove Albion before the season's penultimate international break.

Pep Guardiola's squad will face Tottenham again, this time on home turf, in their first game after the break. They also host Feyenoord in the Champions League before facing Liverpool at the start of December.

Bobb and Rodri are ruled out for that fixture, while Savinho's prognosis is still uncertain. However, the anticipated return of Doku and Grealish in the coming weeks should help offset this significant setback.

Despite not finding the back of the net yet, the Brazilian star has been a standout performer for the Premier League champions this season, much like Doku's impact last season. Savinho has provided four assists across all competitions, including setting up Mateus Nunes' consolation goal in the clash against Spurs.