Manchester City are looking to reclaim bragging rights in the Manchester derby when they face off against Manchester United this coming Sunday. Despite a difficult season—especially before the arrival of manager Ruben Amorim—Manchester United took advantage of a 2-1 win at the Etihad back in December, one of the few high points of their campaign.
City continue to deal with injury concerns, most of which are carryovers from earlier in the season. The most recent major blow is to Erling Haaland, who suffered an ankle injury after scoring a crucial goal in their 2-1 FA Cup victory over Bournemouth. He is expected to return by the final week of the season at the latest.
Omar Marmoush stepped into the striker role in the match against Leicester and found the net. He is expected to retain his place for the derby clash at Old Trafford.
Rodri remains out with a serious ACL injury suffered last season. Nathan Ake is also sidelined until the end of May. Injuries to John Stones and Manuel Akanji continue to complicate Pep Guardiola’s defensive options.
Coach Guardiola didn’t provide any new updates on injured players but spoke at length about Kevin De Bruyne’s future, with the Belgian expected to leave when his contract expires next summer. Guardiola said: “De Bruyne is one of the greatest midfielders this league has seen. You always have to respect the other incredible players who have been part of this club for 20 or 30 years, but he clearly ranks among the very best due to his consistency.”
De Bruyne is likely to start this match, hoping to end his City career on a high. Against United, he has already registered three goals and six assists in 21 appearances.
Injury Summary & Expected Absentees:
-
Erling Haaland (Ankle injury)
-
Rodri (ACL injury)
-
Nathan Ake (Injury)
-
John Stones (Injury)
-
Manuel Akanji (Injury)