Manchester City are set to clash with their bitter rivals, Manchester United at the Etihad on Saturday. A massive derby fixture in the Premier League calendar but might carry as much of the drama as it would have earlier in the season.
City have been at the top for almost the entirety of the 2017/18 season and currently are 16 points ahead of Jose Mourinho’s side. A win in this tie will take Chelsea’s crown as the Champions of England away from them with 6 games still left in the regular season.
However, it is not that simple. While Pep Guardiola might have the upper hand in terms of home-court of advantage the Citizens just faced a major blow to their campaign in the form of a 3-0 thumping from Liverpool on Wednesday night.
The Reds blew them away in the first half alone and now will be carrying a huge advantage going into the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals. Pep’s ambitions of winning the quadruple were demolished when Wigan Athletic knocked his team out of the FA Cup.
However, the treble also seems to be on the line with Jurgen Klopp having a massive hand in it. Moreover, City are in trouble in terms of away goals are concerned. Their failure to knock in at least one at the Anfield in the midweek places between a rock and a hard place. Now, the Etihad-based side will have to hold off the Liverpool offence while trying to overcome a 3-goal deficit – an extremely hard task.
Here is how Manchester City might lineup on matchday.
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
Ederson is the right choice to appear in between the sticks. He took a beating in the last tie and was helpless for almost all three of the Liverpool goals.
Mourinho is expected to sacrifice the three-man backline for this fixture. He might field John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi in the centre-back positions along with Danilo and Fabian Delph in the fullback roles.
Kyle Walker should be given a breather for the next tie.
Midfield
Ilkay Gundogan is expected to take up the anchor role with David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne fielded in front of him. Fernandinho too might be saved for the next tie.
Attack
Leroy Sane was distinctly poor in the last tie but his presence is key to the success for Manchester City. With him on the left, Raheem Sterling could feature on the right and Gabriel Jesus in the centre-forward role.
