Manchester City will go into Sunday’s derby with Manchester United as comfortable favourites considering the recent form of both Premier League giants.
Pep Guardiola’s side are undoubtedly firing on all cylinders at the moment, while Ralf Rangnick’s team simply seem content to focus on one game at a time.
For the home side, Man City will have to contend with some injuries in defence, with Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake both still ruled out through injury. As such, Aymeric Laporte will likely start for the reigning champions.
However, besides that, Guardiola should be able to call upon a relatively full strength side, with his biggest selection headache coming up front as to whether or not he’ll start Gabriel Jesus or stick with a false No.9 in Bernardo Silva. We can probably expect the Spanish coach to opt for the latter.
Jack Grealish has returned from injury and could start, but Guardiola is likely to stick with the in-form Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez.
Man Utd will undoubtedly have to be at their very best to overcome their local rivals but fortunately for Rangnick his side are also missing very few stars and should be relatively full strength for Sunday’s clash.
In defence, Harry Maguire is likely to return to the starting XI after being rested against Watford, with Diogo Dalot once again returning to the right-back spot in place of Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
In midfield, Scott McTominay is expected to return to the starting XI after missing the last two games through illness. And with Edinson Cavani a doubt for the match, Cristiano Ronaldo will almost certainly start up front, with Anthony Elanga and Jadon Sancho in support.
How Man City and Man Utd could line up in Premier League
