Guardiola Pleads for Marmoush’s Quick Return as Egypt Eyes AFCON Semifinal vs Senegal

Guardiola hopes Marmoush returns ahead of Senegal showdown

Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, hopes Omar Marmoush will return soon from Morocco, where he has been with the Egypt squad.

Marmoush is with Egypt at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and is set to face Senegal in the semifinals tonight.

City won 2-0 against Newcastle United yesterday in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, and after the match Guardiola spoke about missing Marmoush.

In remarks carried by BBC, Guardiola touched on several topics before sparking debate with his comments on Marmoush's absence.

He said, "We played very well, we are close to the final, this is just the first step on the road there," and pointed to improvements by Erling Haaland and the new arrival Antoine Semenyo in the second half, noting their chemistry was not fully synced at first.

Guardiola also spoke at length about Semenyo, praising him as an influential player who delivered strong showings at Bournemouth, and he commented on the disallowed second goal, saying the decision was complex even for VAR and the referees.

The standout line, however, came at the end when he expressed hope for Marmoush's swift return to continental competition, saying, "We need him back soon to give Haaland some rest, because he is fatigued."

If Egypt advance today, they will meet the winner of Morocco versus Nigeria in the final on Sunday, which would extend Marmoush's absence from City and likely rule him out of the Manchester derby against Manchester United in Premier League matchweek 22.

Punchline: Marmoush’s travel schedule is so intense that City might finally hire a dedicated travel agent to keep him happy. Punchline 2: Haaland might get a rest, but Marmoush’s jet lag will keep the jokes coming longer than City’s lead.