Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted that Kevin De Bruyne may be available to face Arsenal next weekend.
The runaway Premier League leaders extended their winning streak to 15 matches after seeing off Tottenham on Saturday and are looking to extend that sequence in their trip to the Emirates Stadium.
Both sides have their attention cast elsewhere in midweek, with City tackling Everton in the Premier League and Arsenal playing Benfica in Rome in the Europa League, but will still have next Sunday's clash in their mind.
While Arsenal continue to have their share of significant injury issues, with Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey missing the clash against Leeds, City may have better fortunes.
Guardiola has confirmed that De Bruyne may be fit for next weekend's clash but his comments suggested that the Belgian star would not be rushed back into the starting line-up.
"The doctors told me maybe next week, maybe if he can start training with the team, that is good news for us," he told Sky Sports.
"He has a good recovery with injury problems, [although] it can go bad at the same time. I said to the doctors, himself as well, we cannot forget what happened in the second league, the Premier League that we won.
"Most of the season he was injured because of muscular [injury] and came back, and then muscular again, come back and muscular again, and I don't want to take a risk.
"I want to be sure, we want to be sure, he wants to be sure that when he comes back it is because he is completely recovered and fit."
De Bruyne has missed City's last five matches with a hamstring injury but has still registered 10 assists this season, a tally only eclipsed by Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
