Predicted Starting XI: Manchester United vs Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City face Manchester United on Sunday afternoon in a bid to secure UEFA Champions League football next term after a 2-0 win over Leicester City in midweek.

The last face-off between these two sides took place in early December 2024 – when a rapid-fire double at the death stunned Manchester City, overturning Josko Gvardiol’s first-half goal to secure a 2-1 comeback victory for the visitors led by Ruben Amorim.

When City visited the Etihad Stadium last year, the Blues cruised to a 3-0 victory with an Erling Haaland brace adding to Phil Foden’s third for Pep Guardiola’s men.

Manchester City emerged victorious in their last league outing against Leicester City, winning by two goals to nil after Jack Grealish slotted home from close range less than two minutes in.

Omar Marmoush soon doubled City’s lead after a great ball into the box by Ruben Dias caused defensive chaos for the visitors, with Mads Hermansen spilling the ball in a dangerous position – which the Egyptian took advantage of without hesitation, thumping the ball home off the woodwork.

As has been the case for the majority of this season, City’s injury list remains relatively extensive with Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, John Stones, Rodri and most recently following his ankle injury last weekend, Erling Haaland.

With this fixture being a must win for City for a multitude of reasons, with UEFA qualification on the line but also the pride of victory in this immense rivalry, let’s have a look at how Pep Guardiola could set up his side on Sunday afternoon for this huge trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.

Predicted XI

Goalkeeper Ederson should maintain his spot between the sticks for City with two wins from two since his return from injury and a clean sheet last time out.

At right-back, despite it not being his natural position, Mattheus Nunes appears to have made the right side of the defence his own, perhaps preferred by Guardiola to carry out his favoured inverted full-back role.

At left centre half, an ever-present performer this season, Josko Gvardiol should keep his place, especially given recent defensive injury woes.

To partner him in defence, Ruben Dias is an almost guaranteed starter with the Portuguese, despite not being City’s official club captain, leading by an exemplary example so often and being a calming presence in the side, especially among the aforementioned defensive injuries of late.

At left back, after two excellent performances against Bournemouth and Leicester City, rising star Nico O’Reilly should keep his place in the back line and get his first taste of a Manchester derby, with the EDS graduate offering a different dynamic than other defenders and bringing physicality in abundance – both attacking-wise and defensively.

In midfield, January signing Nico Gonzalez should sit as the defensive midfielder, with the Spaniard able to cover an exceptional amount of ground with a great work ethic as well as an excellent passing range. The 23-year-old should help Manchester City maintain control in this hostile atmosphere.

Alongside him in a double pivot arrangement also aided by the inverted fullback behind them. İlkay Gündogan should keep his spot in the middle of the park for the Blues following two positive performances, as with a younger midfielder alongside him, the German was able to showcase that his technical ability and capability to read and dictate the play remain at the very highest level.

Onto the attack, after a positive performance on the right flank and great link-up play with his fellow attackers last time out, Savinho should start in the frontline for City and look to cause United’s left-hand side major problems.

In the number ten role, despite his recent announcement, City are still fortunate to have Kevin De Bruyne available for eight more league fixtures, so the Belgian who so often provides for City in these big games will no doubt look to implement his second-to-none creativity in this Manchester Derby.

On the left-hand side, following his goal and all-around good performance in midweek, Jack Grealish should start, especially given the poor form of Phil Foden currently, and look to help his side secure victory with the Englishman’s ability to dictate play and control the game as a winger impossible to ignore in the hostile atmosphere of Old Trafford.

Leading the line, Omar Marmoush, a man in great form currently with two goals in his last two games, will look to seize the opportunity as City’s primary frontman given the unfortunate injury to Erling Haaland, which gives the Egyptian a real opportunity to truly announce himself as a Manchester City player in one of the biggest games in English football history.

Formation-wise, Guardiola will likely set up with a 3-3-4 on the ball with a member of the back line inverting inside to create an overload in the midfield and dropping back when out of possession, as well as a front four with two wide men and a number ten in behind.

Off the ball, City will move to a more conventional 4-3-3, with the inverted fullback slotting into the defence to form a back four and the attacking midfielder dropping deeper to help out in the engine room, leaving the standard front three as the attackers.

Starting XI: Ederson; Nunes, Gvardiol, Dias, O’Reilly; Nico, Gündogan De Bruyne; Savinho, Grealish, Marmoush.

Substitutes: Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Khusanov, Reis, Bernardo, Kovacic, Doku, Foden, Bobb.