Manchester City got their Carabao Cup campaign off to a good start last night with a comfortable 3-0 win over Oxford United.

Pep Guardiola’s side next face Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon where you can use a Bet365 promo code to place a value bet on the match.

Checking on the treatment table, left-back Benjamin Mendy is a doubt for the game with a foot injury.

The Frenchman has missed City’s last three games and hasn’t trained so far this week. The rest of the club’s injury worries are long term.

Kevin De Bruyne is still out with a knee injury, with his return date set for some time in November. Speaking last week, the Belgian playmaker says he is targeting the Manchester derby on November 11th, following the next international break:

“I still need three, four, five weeks, but I’m getting there. I’m hoping to be back after the next international break. I think I will be back for the derby.”

While there is no doubt Pep Guardiola has put together a very deep and talented squad at the Etihad with a view to his Manchester City team seriously competing on 4 fronts – retaining the Premier League and the Carabao Cup plus trying to win that elusive Champions League and FA Cup – they are still genuinely missing De Bruyne and his incredible array of passing, shooting and all around attacking threat.

With the injury to Kevin De Bruyne it has become clear why Pep so wanted to add the depth of another top midfielder during the summer. Jorginho has settled quickly at Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri and with the way Fred has adapted to life in the Premier League over at rivals Manchester United with Jose Mourinho, the Manchester City manager must be a little frustrated he was unable to sign either of the two players he clearly coveted.

Hopefully Belgian ace De Bruyne can meet his planned return date and does not suffer any set-backs in his injury rehab and will be available for the Manchester Derby in six weeks time when Mourinho’s Manchester United side visit the Etihad for the season’s first meeting between the two sides.

Claudio Bravo is still on the treatment table after rupturing his Achilles at the end of last month. He is a major doubt for the rest of the season, with Arijanet Muric playing in his absence against Oxford last night.

Eliaquim Mangala remains out with an injured knee, with no return date set, but Philippe Sandler (knee) is back in training, although it is not yet known when he will return to full fitness.