Pep Guardiola has confirmed that a number of injured players from Manchester City are likely to return for the match against Manchester United.
City will host their local rivals at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, aiming to prevent a third consecutive defeat in the Premier League after suffering back-to-back losses to Tottenham and Brighton prior to the international break.
These setbacks place City one point behind Manchester United going into the match, although a win would allow them to surpass their rivals in the league standings.
After failing to secure a victory against United in the Premier League last season, Manchester City is eager to seek revenge for the 2-1 defeat they experienced in the corresponding fixture last December.
In a significant boost, Guardiola appears poised to welcome back several key players for the Manchester derby.
During the pre-match press conference on Friday, the Spanish manager confirmed that Omar Marmoush, Ryan Ait-Nouri, and Ryan Cherki will not be available for selection, but players such as Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol, and Savinho are fit to play.
“Omar [Marmoush] is injured; he came from Egypt. Rayan [Ait] Nouri and Rayan Cherki are also out, but the rest are fine.”
Guardiola also mentioned that John Stones is a doubt due to the injury that caused him to withdraw from the England squad for the World Cup qualification matches against Andorra and Serbia.
“Stones is a doubt,” Guardiola stated. “It’s not a major issue, but he is uncertain for Sunday.”
Regarding Marmoush, the forward is expected to miss matches against Manchester United, Napoli, and Arsenal, but he should be available for selection before the international break in October.
Guardiola remarked: “We need to wait for tests, but I think it will be a few weeks. He will be ready before the international break.”
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