16 players could miss Man City v Man United as Omar Marmoush injury statement made

Manchester City and Manchester United face off when the Premier League returns and their is no shortage of injury news for Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim to contend with

The international break is pretty much done and dusted and attention can now turn to the big one: the Manchester Derby.

Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim will not have taken their eyes from Sunday's game at the Etihad Stadium with neither side having got off to the perfect Premier League start.

City currently lie one point behind United after the opening three matches, with the Catalan coach's team having uncharacteristically already recorded two defeats.

And the international break has offered Guardiola few favours with Omar Marmoush being forced off of the field just nine minutes into Egypt's World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso.

The attacking star was on the receiving end of a strong challenge and initially attempted to play on but eventually succumbed to his issue and was assessed to have suffered a "knee ligament bruise".

An Egyptian FA statement said: "Dr. Mohamed Abou El-Ela, the doctor of Egypt’s national football team, confirmed that Omar Marmoush sustained a knee ligament bruise during today’s match against Burkina Faso in the eighth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The player will undergo scans upon his arrival in Cairo on Wednesday morning."

A further update, released by City, read: "Manchester City FC can confirm that Omar Marmoush has sustained a knee injury whilst on international duty with Egypt. The City striker suffered the injury in the early stages of Egypt’s World Cup qualifying match with Burkina Faso on Tuesday evening.

"Initial results on a scan performed in Egypt indicate he will not be available for the Manchester derby on Sunday, and he will now return to Manchester for more assessment and to begin his rehabilitation."

That could just be the beginning of City's issues, depending on whether the swathes of injured stars are fit to return in time to face United following their own problems.

Abdukodir Khusanov missed Uzbekistan's internationals with a calf injury that was set to keep him sidelined for two weeks, while John Stones trained with England before pullling out of the group on Friday after failing to overcome a minor muscle injury.

Rico Lewis and Nico O'Reilly both withdrew from England Under-21 duty, and Rayan Ait-Nouri didn't travel to play with Algeria.

Guardiola's press conference will see updates on Josko Gvardiol, Savinho, Marcus Bettinelli and Phil Foden, who could make their returns but will need to prove their readiness for one of the more intense fixtures of the season. Rayan Cherki and Mateo Kovacic remain long-term absentees, while Kalvin Phillips is unlikely to feature.

Amorim is not without his own concerns however. Diogo Dalot pulled out of Portugal's international camp as the nation's federation reported the defender was suffering from "muscle discomfort".

Matheus Cunha became unavailable for Brazil after suffering a hamstring injury against Burnley but there is some hope the issue may not be as bad as feared.

"What an incredible environment, it’s great to be here," Cunha wrote on Instagram last week. "I'll be back soon, always with joy and gratitude. Thanks for all the messages."

Mason Mount also picked up a problem in the win over the Clarets, with an update likely to be forthcoming before the weekend's match as the 26-year-old has started each Premier League match thus far.

Lisandro Martinez remains out and unlikely to return before the end of October as he continues to rehabilitate from the knee injury suffered last season.

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