Ederson may miss games in three competitions due to thigh injury

Manchester City looks set to be without star goalkeeper Ederson for a series of key upcoming games. The Brazilian shot-stopper was previously forced off in the second half of the club’s massive match with Liverpool on Sunday.

With City holding on to a slim 1-0 lead, Ederson bundled into Reds forward Darwin Nunez inside the box. The foul, which was committed due to a short back pass from Nathan Ake, resulted in a penalty kick. Alexis Mac Allister ultimately converted the spot kick to help share the points at Anfield. The goalkeeper earned a yellow card for the infraction, his 46th booking of his illustrious career.

Although Ederson managed to remain in the game following the incident, he ultimately had to be substituted a few minutes later. Backup Stefan Ortega replaced the star between the sticks for the remainder of the match. After the draw, City manager Pep Guardiola told reporters that the injury “doesn’t look good.”

Ederson likely to miss huge matchup with Premier League leaders Arsenal

The Guardian is now reporting that Ederson is likely to miss up to four weeks due to the thigh injury. The timing of the setback could not exactly come at a worse time for the reigning European champions. Over the next month, the club has several key fixtures in multiple competitions.

The first of these matches comes in the FA Cup. City hosts Newcastle in the quarterfinal stage of the tournament on Saturday, March 16th. The club then has three Premier League games scheduled by the time Ederson should recover from the injury. This includes a huge game at home to Arsenal. The Gunners are currently leading the English top flight in a tight race for the title.

Ederson will also likely miss other domestic matchups against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace. City’s Champions League quarterfinal first-leg fixture is also in four weeks. This means that the Brazilian could also very well be out of action for the European game as well.

Assuming Ederson has not quite recovered in time for the Champions League game, the injury could affect three different competitions. Guardiola’s team previously collected trophies in all three of these contests during the previous campaign.

Ortega proclaims that he is ready to fill in for Ederson

With Ederson out, City will have to rely on Ortega for the near future. The 31-year-old German has made nine total appearances on the season for the club. Most of these games, however, have come in cup competitions. Although City has only lost one of these matches, Ortega has allowed multiple goals in four of the nine appearances.

Nevertheless, Ortega has claimed that he is always ready for Guardiola to call his name. “If you are on the bench, you always think about what can happen if you go on the pitch,” the backup goalkeeper recently said.

“[Against Liverpool] was my time with Eddie’s injury. I was ready like always. It was a special moment to come on in this big game and the whole world watching. It was a nice feeling.”

He then talked about his mindset going into such a difficult fixture against Liverpool. “Just do my job,” continued Ortega. “I do it every day in training and it was about doing the same. I enjoyed every second. It’s nothing new what came – I was ready and prepared.”

Although Ortega has a positive mindset on the situation, Ederson’s absence is a major blow for City. Guardiola and company will hope that the Brazil international can quickly recover before it is too late.

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