City’s poor form means that when United travel to the Etihad Stadium, the result won’t surprise us. It’s a free blow for new Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim, with the Premier League champions desperate for a win to shake off their woes.
Manchester derby is the most important Premier League game of the weekendso this is the eleven-man combination of both sides. Enjoy it and don’t get your panties in a twist.
Goalkeeper: Ederson (Manchester City)
Ironically, Ederson is not guaranteed a start for Manchester City this weekend, while Andre Onana would need to lose a limb to be replaced in the United goal. By that logic alone, he should be a three-time Premier League Savior of the Month award winner, but that’s not the case simply because he’s not as good as the guy we picked.
RB: Nussel Mazrawi (Manchester United)
Wow, Manchester United have finally finalized the transfer. Any excuse can be inserted I’ve ranked every signing they’ve made since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013;This is so funny.
Mazraoui was signed for just under £20m but has quickly adapted to the Premier League, holding off several right-wingers and proving himself a reliable full-back.
Centre-back: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
The only time Dias was not in City’s starting XI was when he was injured or suspended. His performance on the defensive line is very good, far more than any Manchester United central defender.
Centre-back: Josco Guardiol (Manchester City)
Since joining Manchester City from Red Bull Leipzig in the 2023 summer transfer window, Gvaldiol has mainly played as a left-back, with slight changes in the defense. The Croatian youngster is a natural centre-back and will play on the left when Guardiola plays in a back three.
Gwadiol joins Dias in our starting XI, with Nathan Ake and John Stones injured and only missing out on Manuel Akanji – who was in Sunday’s derby. There are some minor doubts.
Defender: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United)
Gvardiol’s move into the heart of the defence means there is a place for Diogo Dalot, who has been United’s most consistent player this year.
Dalot’s versatility makes him an invaluable addition to Ruben Amorim, who is trying to fine-tune his squad within his trusted 3-4-2-1 system and is lucky to have a player who can serve as One of the centre-backs, in either wing-back position. This is not only true for Dalot, but also for Mazrawi.
We really like both players and know Amorim will rely on them in his early days at Old Trafford.
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CM: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
No explanation needed. He just needs to stay healthy.
CM: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Silva is far from his glorious form this season, but so is every player at City. He remains a player we adore and will go straight into Amorim’s best XI and will do a good job wherever he is asked to play. Full back? Attacking midfielder? Center midfielder? You name it.
Manchester United players will be looking for revenge after Silva scored the equalizer for Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Morning: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Fernandez is one of a number of United players still under Amorim. His best position is in midfield, linking the attack with the midfield and providing plenty of goals and assists, but the new manager’s 3-4-2-1 philosophy does not require such a player. Playing in two positions behind Rasmus Hoylund (it has to be Hoylund) is certainly the best fit, although he could play deeper, even if that’s a bit wasteful.
Playing this role behind the striker allows Fernandes to operate like a No. 10, but there are a lot of responsibilities that your typical No. 10 wouldn’t be interested in. The Portuguese is the kind of player who thrives on freedom, which is why he has been so effective under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Amorim has a lot of rubbish to clean up, but allowing Fernandez to flourish is one of his most important tasks. If he can do that, he has a chance.
In case you’re wondering, we’re not including Rodri because he has a torn ACL.
RW: Phil Foden (Manchester City)
The best player in the Premier League in 2023/24 has yet to perform well this season; unfortunately for him and Manchester City, he is really poor. One goal in 12 domestic games this season is a far cry from the devastating performances we witnessed last season.
While City’s overall woes haven’t helped the team, Foden hasn’t helped himself by showing zero signs of his ability to single-handedly turn the team around. If he’s better than Bukayo Saka, he should be able to lead the team in their worst moments, just like his England team-mate has done countless times for Arsenal.
Criticisms aside, class is eternal. Amad Diallo has been United’s best attacking player this season and he was unfortunate to miss out on the pair given his recent form, but we refuse to take the knee.
Left back: Jeremy Doku (Manchester City)
The left wing spot is up for grabs. It could be Foden with Amad or Savinho on the right, with Jack Grealish shouting. We picked Doku simply because we thought he was better than the group that was overlooked since joining the Citizens from Rennes last August.
Of course, Doku could score and assist more, and given his £55m price tag, he really should, but he is a constant threat and a player who carries City forward with the ball.
Savinho deserves a mention. He’s been performing reasonably well but we were surprised to find out that he has scored zero goals in 20 games since signing from Girona.
ST: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Haaland has scored an impressive 13 goals in 15 Premier League games, but he has netted 10 in his first five games, meaning he is currently on a 10-game scoring streak3 ball, which was a shocking return for him. If it had been Joshua Zirkzee, Jean-Philippe Mateta or even Darwin Nunez, we wouldn’t have batted an eye, but that’s Erling Haaland, guys.
Oh well. It really doesn’t matter. He is obviously much better than Hojlund, Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford.
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