Manchester City may be reeling at the news that Ederson has been ruled out for four weeks with the knock he suffered against Liverpool, and may be thankful that the international break takes up a proportion of that.
Jack Grealish is also out of action until club football returns, by which time title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool might have a number of their own stars back.
The Gunners will likely have Takehiro Tomiyasu back for the crunch clash with Man City after the intentional break. Meanwhile, Gabriel Martinelli and long-term absentee Jurrien Timber could also make a timely return, the latter being sidelined since suffering a knee injury on the opening day of the season. READ MORE: Man City summer transfer plans might have just changed READ MORE: Man City star Kyle Walker opens up on future plans Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai all recovered from their setbacks in time for Liverpool's 1-1 draw with City on Sunday.
However, a number were still unavailable, including Ibou Konate and goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Konate is expected to be back before the weekend following his knock in the Europa League last week while rising young star Jayden Danns could return from his concussion absence.