The international break has delivered a hammer blow to several clubs in the Premier League, as 11 players have had to cut short their time with national teams due to injuries.
Leading the list of casualties are Liverpool and Manchester City, ahead of their crucial clash. The Merseysiders will be without Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak. Sweden's manager, Graham Potter, remarked on Isak's injury:
Sometimes you take a knock and think you’ve just bruised your leg or something similar. But in reality, one or two days later, things can reveal themselves to be more serious than you initially thought. Unfortunately, after a thorough examination, it became clear that the problem is a bit more severe than it appeared during the match.
Manchester City may also face a tough time without Erling Haaland and promising young talent Nico O'Reilly. Meanwhile, Manchester United have lost both of their full-backs, Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui. Denmark’s head coach, Brian Riemer, shed light on Dorgu's early exit:
He has an injury and had to head back home.
Adding to the growing injury list are Aston Villa's goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, Tottenham's defender Jan Paul van Hecke, and Bournemouth's midfielder Alex Scott. Sunderland are also feeling the strain as they bid farewell to Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey.
