Manchester City have been dealt a fresh injury setback ahead of Sunday’s Premier League showdown with Manchester United, as Omar Marmoush was forced to withdraw from Egypt’s World Cup qualifying match against Burkina Faso.
Just nine minutes into the encounter, the striker went down holding his knee and appeared to be in considerable pain on the pitch. He was subsequently substituted, leaving Pep Guardiola anxiously waiting to find out if the forward will be available for Sunday’s derby. So far this season, Marmoush has played in all three Premier League matches for the Citizens. After being named on the bench against Wolves on the opening day, the 26-year-old has started the last two games and provided an assist in the loss to Brighton.
City are currently plagued by injuries with Mateo Kovacic, Josko Gvardiol, Marcus Bettinelli and Kalvin Phillips all set to miss the clash with United.
Meanwhile, there are concerns over the fitness of Savinho, Abdukodir Khusanov, Rico Lewis, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Nico O’Reilly, John Stones and Phil Foden.
On the other hand, United’s injury problems are less severe and they have received a boost in recent days.
Casemiro – eager to be fully fit for the derby – has returned to Carrington early after receiving a suspension due to an accumulation of yellow cards, and missed Brazil’s defeat to Bolivia.
Matheus Cunha, who was forced to withdraw from the Brazil squad due to an injury sustained against Burnley, has been sharing encouraging updates on his recovery via social media.
In other news, Lisandro Martinez, who has been sidelined with a long-term injury, could potentially return to face City.
However, United boss Ruben Amorim will have to bide his time to see if Mason Mount has recovered from the injury he picked up against the Clarets. Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot is also a doubt after pulling out of the Portugal squad due to what is thought to be a muscular problem.
Both City and United are eager to secure a win following their less than stellar starts to the season.
Currently, the Reds sit one point above City in the Premier League standings, having won one, drawn one and lost one. However, they did suffer the embarrassment of a defeat to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup.
The Citizens kicked off the season on a high note with a resounding victory over Wolves. However, losses to Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton have put a damper on their promising start.