Manchester United travel to the Etihad Stadium for Sunday’s Premier League derby against arch-rivals Manchester City.
The Red Devils have been largely inconsistent this year, and they are currently clinging onto the fourth position in the standings.
The upcoming Manchester derby is a must-win. Both West Ham United and Arsenal could leapfrog them with victories otherwise. The latter have three games in hand.
Despite the mixed fortunes lately, United should fancy their chances against the Cityzens, having beaten them in three of the last five league meetings with just one loss.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Predicted Line-up:
David de Gea is an assured starter for United in goal for the Premier League and European games.
The Spaniard has made several stand-out saves for United but has just nine clean sheets to show for his efforts. The defence in front of him has been a huge let-down.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka could start for the third league game running. The right-back has had the better of Raheem Sterling in recent derbies, and that should see him picked over Diogo Dalot.
Alex Telles may keep his place over Luke Shaw on the opposite flank.
Harry Maguire was an unused substitute in the goalless draw against Watford. Ralf Rangnick confirmed that the decision was tactical.
Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane barely offered any scoring chances to the Hornets until the closing seconds. The duo should retain their places in the heart of the defence.
Paul Pogba may drop into a central midfield role, having started on the left wing last weekend.
Fred has produced some match-winning displays in the derby, but Nemanja Matic should be rewarded with a second-straight start after a fluent display against the Hornets. He was particularly impressive with his long-range distribution.
Further forward, Jadon Sancho is likely to start on the left wing after being surprisingly benched against Roy Hodgson’s side.
The England star has found his feet after a difficult first half to the campaign but still has room for improvement, having squandered a couple of one-on-one scoring chances last month.
Bruno Fernandes had a frustrating display last weekend where he lost possession 22 times. However, he remains the club’s best option in the number 10 role.
The 27-year-old is capable of making key goal contributions despite having phases where he has looked completely out of sorts.
Anthony Elanga’s performance against Watford was a big positive. He was prepared to take on defenders with his direct running and will feel disappointed that he could not convert his big chance.
The young Swede should get the backing to start on the right wing over Marcus Rashford.
It is unclear whether Edinson Cavani will recover from a groin problem. Regardless of this, Cristiano Ronaldo could lead the line once more.
The Portuguese started the season brightly with 14 goals from 20 outings but has netted just once from the last 10 appearances. He needs to step up for United to get something from the derby.
How Man Utd could line up against Man City
Stats from Transfermarkt.com.
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