Man Utd vs Man City: Team News and Predicted Lineups

· GiveMeSport

Man Utd and Man City will meet in the first Manchester derby of the season in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Man Utd and Man City will meet in the first Manchester derby of the season in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Devils come into the game on the back of a 4-0 win in the Champions League over Sabah, having thrown away a lead twice in the 2-2 draw with Everton in their last league outing. City , meanwhile, have won four games in a row in all competitions following Premier League wins over Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, and Coventry, while they won their Champions League opener against Porto in midweek.

Both managers have some selection decisions to make with their starting lineups due to injuries and form, and this is how GIVEMESPORT expects the teams to line up...

Michael Carrick is set to be without at least five first-team stars for the Manchester Derby, with Amad, Matthijs De Ligt, Carlos Baleba, Manuel Ugarte and Tom Heaton all still unavailable due to injury.

Luke Shaw missed the midweek win with a knock picked up against Everton, and there will be a late check on his fitness before the team is picked. Should he be unavailable, Patrick Dorgu could continue at left-back, while Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui can also play there.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Carrick shared an update on his squad ahead of the game.

> "We looked after him a little bit going into tonight [Thursday]. He wasn't quite ready for it, 100 per cent, so we didn't risk it. But we'll see how he is over the next couple of days or so.

> "Why no Rashford vs Sabah? Trying to share the load a little bit, to a point, as well.

> "We've got good options, so we're trying to keep everyone fresh, but with a point where Ben [Šeško] can get good minutes tonight [against Sabah] and get him up to speed.

> "There's always a bit of a challenge in getting that right, but it was nice to keep Marcus fresh and ready for the weekend.”

With Shaw a late call, Carrick is likely to bring some experience back into his defence meaning Harry Maguire should get the nod over Leny Yoro at centre-back, while Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui should start at full-back.

Despite his goal in midweek and against Everton, Sesko is still not 100% fit, and Carrick could return to the attack that started at the Hill Dickinson Stadium to provide a counter-attacking threat at Old Trafford.

Manchester City will have a near full-strength squad to choose from for their trip across the city, but winger Jeremy Doku has been ruled out with a calf problem picked up in the Community Shield.

England international Nico O'Reilly pulled out of the game against Coventry after a back problem he suffered in the warm-up, and missed the win over Porto in midweek, but he has now recovered and should be in the squad.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Maresca shared an update on his squad ahead of the game.

> "Nico [O'Reilly] is 100% available, and Jeremy [Doku] needs some more days.

> "He's [Foden] from Manchester and came through our academy. He feels things differently from the other players, so that might be why this match is special for him.

> "He's [Enzo Fernandez] improving a lot. Probably in the last two years, he has become an attacking midfielder. In and around the box, and in terms of leadership, he is growing a lot. You can see how the teammates speak about him and the winning mentality. He is working hard, polite, he is what we need."

Maresca is known to be a coach who prioritises control in games, and that means he is likely to go with a very similar team to what we have seen already. £241m midfield duo Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez should start, while Abdukodir Khusanov could get the nod at right-back for his pace.

That could see £139m duo Bouaddi and Mateus Nunes on the bench, while summer signing Iliman Ndiaye will also settle for a place on the sidelines.

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