Blow for Pep: Man City without ‘absolutely magnificent’ player after semi-final injury update

Manchester City have been dealt an injury setback ahead of their blockbuster Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid this evening.

Pep Guardiola’s are gearing up for a monumentous occasion at the Bernabeu tonight as City aim to reach a second-consecutive European Cup final for the first time in their history.

The Sky Blues have set up a huge second leg in Spain after beating La Liga’s giants 4-3 at the Etihad Stadium last week, a match which saw many twists and turns.

City’s seven-goal thriller against Real will go down as one of the best semi-final matches since the Champions League’s inception, but that was only the first half, with Guardiola now preparing his side for another crunch clash.

In terms of team news, the Premier League champions have been boosted by defender Kyle Walker’s potential availability after a lengthy lay-off.

Meanwhile, star man Joao Cancelo is also back after missing the first leg through suspension.

However, as officially confirmed, City will be without centre-back and England international John Stones through injury as the pre-Real team news emerges.

This comes as a blow given the 27-year-old’s proven ability when called upon, as evident by his stellar performances in the Champions League this season.

Stones has proven his worth in Europe whenever called upon, most recently against Atletico Madrid in the last round, with journalist Henry Winter calling him ‘absolutely magnificent’.

The stellar partnership of Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias has resulted in a lack of minutes for the Three Lions ace when compared to last year, where both Stones and Dias formed a formidable 2020/2021 duo in central defence.

Having the former Everton sensation to call upon would have been a real