Pep Guardiola confirms major injury blows ahead of Manchester City's trip to Burnley

Josko Gvardiol also remains unavailable after suffering a broken leg -Credit:Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images

Guardiola further confirmed that Dias is 'not ready yet', the center-back having picked up a hamstring injury during City's UEFA Champions League game against Real Madrid last month. Dias continues his recovery alongside fellow defender Josko Gvardiol, who remains sidelined with a broken leg.

Rodri has featured in each of City's last 11 Premier League fixtures and proved pivotal in narrowing the gap on Arsenal. Alongside Bernardo Silva, the Spaniard was magnificent against the Gunners. "In the last games, both of them have been really important," Guardiola said.

"Both of them are experienced and both of them have a personality on the team - like man-marking. They are not young guys any more, they are experienced guys who have played a lot of these types of games and know how they must be played. They were exceptional."

By the time City travel to Turf Moor, Arsenal will have spent 200 days at the summit, a statistic which Guardiola acknowledges highlights the enormity of their challenge. "That means how good they have been, how consistent they have been," the City boss said.

"A game to try to be on the same points as them. Both teams know that we cannot lose or drop points or it will be difficult to recover. Our calendar is so demanding."

Guardiola also cautioned his players against underestimating Scott Parker's side, who face the prospect of being officially relegated to the Championship with a defeat. "We talked immediately after the game, do not lose the focus," he added. "Arsenal is top of the league and right now they would be the champions. The recovery is much less than the last two weeks. It's just two days.

"That is why I have to see how people are recovering. It's a demanding game we had, both emotionally and physically. But at the same time, we have six games left. We know exactly what is going to happen, when we get the result or if we don't get the result."