Manchester United will entertain their cross-town rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday hoping to pick up a win in front of their home supporters. The Red Devils will come into this Manchester derby on the back of a 3-0 victory over Derby County in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to opt for a 3-4-1-2 formation and could make a whole host of changes to his first-team for this clash at the Theatre of Dreams.
3-4-1-2 Manchester United Predicted Lineup Vs Manchester City
Defence
David De Gea should return in goal for the Red Devils after being rested in the midweek win over the Rams. Solskjaer might be inclined to name a back three of Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw for this upcoming home match against Pep Guardiola’s men. Eric Bailly will be on stand-by if Maguire fails to recover from his injury before the Manchester derby. The defensive trio will have to figure out a way to keep Sergio Aguero quiet for the whole 90 minutes if they are to stand a chance to securing a clean sheet on Sunday.
The Man United defenders have allowed just two goals in their past eight matches while securing six clean sheets across all competitions. Hence, they will be in high spirits heading into this derby versus the Citizens.
Midfield
Nemanja Matic will once again anchor the midfield alongside Fred as they focus on stifling the game at the middle of the park so that they can stop Man City from creating too many clear-cut opportunities this weekend. Brandon Williams could get the nod to operate as the left wing-back while Aaron Wan-Bissaka tries to cause a few problems for the opposition down the right flank. However, the ex-Crystal Palace defender will be in a race against time to be fit and available for selection for this clash at Manchester.
Bruno Fernandes is a nailed-on starter in the number ten position and will carry most of the creative burden in the final third. The Portuguese playmaker has made a bright start to his Old Trafford career so he will fancy his chances of putting in a match-winning display on Sunday.
Both Scott McTominay and Jesse Lingard will make up the numbers on the Red Devils bench.
Attack
Anthony Martial will hope to form a prolific striking partnership with Daniel James up top. The talented duo will carry most of the goal-scoring workload down the middle, but James remains a major concern for this game after picking up a knock recently.
Odion Ighalo will have to be content with a spot on the bench despite scoring a brace against the Rams in midweek. He might get a chance to make an impact in the second half if Solskjaer calls upon his services.
