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Manchester City head to Old Trafford for a derby with Michael Carrick's Manchester United on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola's men dropped points to Sunderland, Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion in the space of a week and are now six points behind Arsenal at the summit.
This run has been compounded by a mounting injury list, most notably in central defence. Max Alleyne was recalled from a loan spell at Watford and thrown straight into a Premier League debut against Brighton, playing alongside Abdukodir Khusanov.
There was a similarly makeshift look to the team that obliterated Exeter City 10-1 in the FA Cup at the weekend, which included debutant Antoine Semenyo, who scored in his first appearance since his £62.5 million move from Bournemouth.
City followed this with a 2-0 win at Newcastle United in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal. While morale will be high after that victory, Guardiola will have to be careful to manage his players' fatigue as they prepare to face a Man United team once again in a state of flux.
MORE: Does top at Christmas mean the title?
Man City injury list
Below is the latest injury picture for Manchester City, and estimated return dates for those who are sidelined.
Josko Gvardiol
- Injury: Tibia fracture
- Expected return date: May/June
Man City suffered a brutal blow in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea, as the opening match of 2026 brought with it terrible news. Defender Gvardiol, who has been a pillar of consistency for City in recent seasons, went down in the second half with a tibia fracture, confirmed by the club the following day.
City confirmed that Gvardiol underwent surgery for the broken leg. While there is very little known at this point about a potential timeline for Gvardiol's return, it is believed to require a long-term recovery, and it's possible he will miss the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
Ruben Dias
- Injury: Hamstring
- Expected return date: February
Josko Gvardiol wasn't the only casualty of the 1-1 draw with Chelsea, as Dias also found himself withdrawn before full-time. Guardiola said he is facing between four and six weeks out of action.
Savinho
- Injury: Undisclosed
- Expected return date: February/March
Guardiola said the injury to Savinho "does not look good" after the winger had to exit early in the draw at Sunderland. After the Brighton game, Guardiola said the timeline for the Brazil winger was between one and a half to two months.
Oscar Bobb
- Injury: Hamstring
- Expected return date: February 4 (vs. Newcastle)
Bobb started the season as City's first choice on the right wing but has fallen from favour. A chance to enjoy some game time in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal against Brentford was curtailed by a hamstring injury. It's not expected he will be back until the end of the month, and even then, there is speculation he could leave before the transfer window closes.
John Stones
- Injury: Thigh
- Expected return date: February
England defender Stones has been peripheral in the Premier League this season but had started four of five Champions League matches prior to the trip to Real Madrid in December.
He came on in midfield during the unhinged 5-4 win at Fulham on December 2 and has not featured since. Stones is nursing an unspecified leg injury and was expected to return at some stage during the festive fixtures, but Guardiola said on January 6 that he has "no idea" when Stones will be back.
Mateo Kovacic
- Injury: Heel/ankle
- Expected return date: February/March 2026
Croatia midfielder Kovacic underwent Achilles surgery over the summer but has suffered a serious setback.
After the 3-1 win over Bournemouth on November 2, Guardiola said the former Chelsea player would be "out for a while".
"He still has a problem with the ankle, a little calcification still there. We'll wait on him for the last part of the season," the City boss added. Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti confirmed the news and said Kovacic's recovery was likely to take three to four months.
Omar Marmoush, Rayan Ait-Nouri
Marmoush and Ait-Nouri have been away at the Africa Cup of Nations, but with neither Egypt nor Algeria making the final, both players should be available for the derby.
Man City predicted lineup vs. Man United
Formation: 4-1-4-1
Donnarumma (GK)
Nunes, Khusanov, Ake, Ait-Nouri
Rodri
Silva, Reijnders, Foden, Doku
Haaland
Man City fixture schedule: Next five games
After the Man United clash, City return to UEFA Champions League duties against Bodo/Glimt. They then have home games they will be expected to win against Wolves and Galatasaray, after which they head to Tottenham.
- Man United vs. Man City | Premier League | Saturday, January 17
- Bodo/Glimt vs. Man City | UEFA Champions League | Tuesday, January 20
- Man City vs. Wolves | Premier League | Saturday, January 24
- Man City vs. Galatasaray | UEFA Champions League | Wednesday, January 28
- Tottenham vs. Man City | Premier League | Sunday, February 1
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