Manchester City could be without 13 players who are suffering from injury when they face Manchester United in the first Manchester derby of the 2025/26 season.
Pep Guardiola has a busy schedule of games coming up as they host Manchester United at the Etihad before their opening UEFA Champions League game against Napoli and a clash against Premier League contenders Arsenal. According to reports from City, at least 13 players will be out of the game against their noisy neighbours.
List of Manchester City players set to miss Manchester Derby due to iniury
(1) Marcus Bettinelli: The goalkeeper has been sidelined since the start of the campaign with an unspecified problem. However with Gianluigi Donnarumma, James Trafford, and Stefan Ortega all ahead in the pecking order.
(2) Rayan Ait-Nouri: He was not called up by Algeria for the international break after he picked up an injury against Tottenham.
(3) Josko Gvardiol: The defender has rejoined training with Manchester City but opted out of Croatia’s camp focusing on his recovery process.
(4) Abdukodir Khusanov: Uzbekistan’s FA confirmed he is nursing a calf injury sustained against Brighton. Doctors expect around two weeks of recovery, ruling him out of the CAFA Nations Cup, but possibly opening him up to availability against Manchester United.
(5) Rico Lewis: The youngster was forced to withdraw from England Under-21 duty with a knock, adding to Pep Guardiola’s defensive and midfield worries.
(6) John Stones: The defender is experiencing muscle tightness, and Thomas Tuchel confirmed the decision was precautionary.
( 7) Rayan Cherki: The French international faces up to two months out with a thigh injury picked up in August. Pep Guardiola recently confirmed the timeline, which would rule him out until at least late October.
(8) Phil Foden: He missed the game against Brighton due to being deemed not fully fit, though his absence is expected to be short-term compared to others.
(9) Mateo Kovacic: The Croatian is edging closer to a return after Achilles surgery in June. Pep Guardiola previously said he wouldn’t be back until September or October.
(10) Nico O’Reilly: The Under-21 withdrawal due to a knock, which is a setback, further depletes midfield options at a crucial stage.
(11) Kalvin Phillips: The midfielder is currently recovering from Achilles surgery like Mateo Kovacic, but even when fit, is not expected to feature in Pep Guardiola’s plans.
(12) Savinho: He was back on the training pitch during the break and targeting a return to full action once Manchester City’s internationals return to camp.
(13) Omar Marmoush: Limped out of Egypt’s 0-0 draw with Burkina Faso with a knee problem, returning home on crutches. Manchester City have since confirmed that the forward will be sidelined for the game against Manchester United this weekend.
Manchester City supporters will hope these players recover quickly from their injuries before they get into busier schedule in October 2025.
