Manchester City to be without more than SIX players for huge clash against Man United

The Manchester Derby this weekend is expected to be a thrilling encounter, but the Blue half of Manchester could be missing several key players due to injury.

City already had fitness concerns before the international break, and several players were forced to withdraw from their national squads.

One player who did go on international duty but picked up an injury is Omar Marmoush. The forward sustained a knee injury in the early stages of Egypt's 0-0 draw with Burkina Faso on Tuesday and now faces a spell on the sidelines.

A City statement confirmed the news, saying: "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."

Other injured players include John Stones, Savinho, Phil Foden, and Abdulkodir Khusanov (who pulled out of the Uzbekistan squad with a calf injury sustained in City's win at Brighton), as well as Rayan Cherki, a long-term absentee.

Pep Guardiola is expected to provide a complete update when he faces the media on Friday afternoon.

With only three points from their opening three games, City will be desperate to bounce back with a win against their fierce rivals, United.