Manchester derby offers opportunity to heal wounds

Manchester City will be desperate to avoid a third successive defeat when they face neighbours Manchester United as the Premier League returns this weekend.

City boss Pep Guardiola and United manager Ruben Amorim are both under intense pressure just three games into the season.

The Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium pits two troubled sides against each other, both of whom have just one win from three matches.

Manchester City's consecutive defeats against Tottenham and Brighton have raised questions about Guardiola's expensive overhaul of his side after last season's third-place finish.

Guardiola's problems have hardly eased in the two weeks since City blew the lead at Brighton, with Egypt forward Omar Marmoush ruled out of Sunday's derby with a knee injury.

Rayan Cherki and Mateo Kovacic remain sidelined and there are also questions over the fitness of John Stones, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rico Lewis, Nico O'Reilly and Abdukodir Khusanov, who all withdrew from international duty this week.

Manchester United needed a last-gasp penalty from Bruno Fernandes after another error-strewn display against Burnley as they finally clinched their first win of the season.

That dramatic victory came after Amorim's team were beaten by Arsenal, drew with Fulham and suffered a humiliating League Cup exit at fourth-tier Grimsby.