Manchester City suffer injury scare as Claudio Bravo limps out of Chile draw

A latest injury involving one of Chile's international contingent has given another Premier League club cause for concern, with Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo having limped out of La Roja's 2018 Conmebol World Cup qualifying tie against Colombia in Barranquilla on Thursday night (10 November).

The Chilean captain, who made a number of impressive saves, is said to have collided with both Miguel Borja and Santiago Arias during a goalless draw at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez. He initially continued playing on both occasions before eventually being replaced by Universidad de Chile veteran Johnny Herrera with 26 minutes remaining.

Bravo was originally thought to have suffered a knee problem, although manager Juan Antonio Pizzi revealed afterwards that he had actually sustained a blow to the hip. Fifth-place Chile are in action once again on Tuesday as they entertain high-flying Uruguay and at this stage it remains unclear if the 33-year-old will be fit to lead his country once more.

"At this time, it bothers me a lot," he was quoted as saying by Fox Sports. "But we have to be smart and realise we have another match on Tuesday. We also trust our teammates — Johnny Herrera went in and did a good job."

Former Barcelona 'keeper Bravo has made 11 appearances since joining Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in a £15.4m ($19.4m) summer deal to replace Torino loanee Joe Hart, although will now presumably be considered as questionable for next weekend's top-flight trip to Crystal Palace and potentially even the Champions League meeting with Borussia Monchengladbach. Much will likely depend on if he is able to line up in that aforementioned clash against Uruguay.

Chile have been at the centre of another high-profile injury storm this week, with key attacker Alexis Sanchez suffering a low-grade muscle problem in training. The Arsenal forward was promptly ruled out of that draw with Colombia, but Pizzi remains hopeful that he could feature against La Celeste having remained in Santiago for treatment on the "minor" issue despite reports suggesting that his club was seeking a swift return to London.

A concerned Arsene Wenger spoke out on the whole saga yesterday, insisting that Arsenal "have to get access for our medical staff to the MRI scan to see what grade it is, how bad it is and make absolutely sure they [Chile] don't make any suicidal decision that could harm his future for two or three months". The Gunners face Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain in their first two fixtures after the latest international break.

Arturo Vidal was also stretchered off in stoppage time against Colombia, with Pizzi subsequently revealing that the influential Bayern Munich midfielder was still carrying a knock picked up in last month's win over Peru. Chile also lost Charles Aranguiz in the second-half.