Ruben Dias and John Stones Avoid Long-Term Injuries

JAKARTA - Ruben Dias and John Stones are expected to return to action soon after missing Manchester City's victory in the FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool on Saturday, April 4, 2026.

Dias has been out since being withdrawn in the first half when Manchester City lost 1-2 to Real Madrid in the Champions League on March 17, 2026. The Portuguese defender did not join his national team during the recent international break.

Meanwhile, Stones resigned from international duty with England, after being an unused substitute in the Citizens' victory in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal on March 22, 2026. The 31-year-old wants to prove his fitness ahead of the 2026 World Cup this summer.

His last appearance was in the 3-1 FA Cup win against Newcastle United on March 7, 2026 when he played for 90 minutes.

Pep Guardiola's assistant, Pep Lijnders, said that neither Dias nor Stones had any long-term injury problems.

"Ruben suffered an injury (on Friday, April 3, 2026) in the last minutes of training. We are evaluating it. So, we have to see later."

"John, to be honest, I don't think he will be out for the long term, but he is not available (on Saturday, April 4, 2026, against Liverpool)," Lijnders said as reported by ESPN.

The reward for Manchester City for their crushing 4-0 win over Liverpool is a semi-final against Championship side Southampton.