Dias injury update: What we know about City defender ahead of Liverpool clash

If Pep Guardiola's side are to compete on all three fronts, they will need their full squad fit and available.

One man who City haven't had for the past month or so is Ruben Dias; the 24-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during City's 2-0 win over Peterborough United in the FA Cup.

Since then, City have played six matches in all competitions and there has been an international break, but Dias is still out.

Last season's Player of the Season, Dias, has been a revelation since rocking up in Manchester, filling a gaping Vincent Kompany-sized hole in their line-up.

The Citizens host Liverpool on Sunday in a game that could decide who wins the Premier League title, and City will be without Dias.

This could be crucial for City because since he arrived in the Premier League, the Portuguese international has been one of the best centre-backs in the league, so his absence could impact the home side.

Within the next week, City play Liverpool twice and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, so it appears as if Dias could miss all of those games.

What we know so far?

Dias started against Peterborough United on March 1 but only lasted 45 minutes before he was withdrawn.

Guardiola claimed after the game that City would be without Dias for four to six weeks, but here we are nearly six weeks later, and there is no sign of the former Benfica man.

Premier League injury expert Ben Dinnery revealed earlier this week he expected Dias to be out for another ten days, which would put him in contention for the game against Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final next Saturday.

However, Guardiola refused to confirm any timescale for Dias' return when asked about the defender on Friday, which isn't good.

What could happen?

Well, the fact Guardiola didn't say anything in his press conference isn't a good sign because he could have easily provided an update but chose not to.

He did provide more detail in an interview with the club's official site last week and revealed he wouldn't rush the defender back, which is sensible.

However, Dias did actually return to training for City in the middle of March but then disappeared again, so he may have suffered a setback in his bid to return from this hamstring problem.

The issue City have is that Dias could potentially miss the three matches that decide their season.

If they lose on Sunday, Liverpool will have the advantage in the title race, and if they suffer defeat to Atletico, they will be out of the Champions League.

Then, next Saturday, another loss against Liverpool would be the end of their FA Cup run, and potentially their season.

So, this is a huge week in City's campaign, and it appears as if they will be without Dias for possibly every game unless Guardiola risks another injury to get the centre-back involved.

City have an incredible team, but Dias would make them even better and his absence could have a big impact on the Citizens' trophy haul come the end of the year.