Cross-town rivals Manchester United and Manchester City will renew their age-old rivalry in a Premier League clash at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been under immense pressure since his team’s 5-0 home drubbing at the hands of nemesis Liverpool last month. Since the defeat to Liverpool, the Red Devils defeated Tottenham 3-0 in the Premier League before drawing 2-2 with Atalanta in Bergamo in the Champions League on Tuesday.
After a hard-earned point at Atalanta, the Norwegian manager would expect his side to step up their performance levels and bag the bragging rights against Manchester City at the weekend.
Manchester United Team News
Manchester United will be without Raphael Varane for around a month after the centre-back sustained a hamstring injury during Man United’s 2-2 draw with Atalanta.
Paul Pogba will serve the second game of his three-match ban after being shown a straight red for a two-footed challenge on Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS5hOm87qQw&ab_channel=ManchesterUnited
Victor Lindelof didn’t travel with the squad to Atalanta after picking up a knock in training on Monday, which makes him a touch-and-go for the derby.
Predicted Manchester United Lineup vs Manchester City (3-4-1-2)
Goalkeeper
David de Gea made a mistake for Atalanta’s opener on Tuesday, so the Spaniard will be raring to make amends a put a big performance in goal against Manchester City.
Defence
Raphael Varane’s injury is a big blow for Solskjaer, so he will need to tweak his system to stop Pep Guardiola’s side at Old Trafford.
Eric Bailly was superb against Atalanta, making him an undoubted starter at the back with skipper Harry Maguire set to keep his place, despite his struggles since the start of the season.
Victor Lindelof could recover in time to fill Varane’s void, which will see Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka start as wing-backs in the Manchester United lineup.
Predicted Manchester United Lineup vs Manchester City
Midfield
Solskjaer is not likely to tinker much in midfield and go with his trusted pairing of Scott McTominay and Fred. McTominay and Fred have often performed well in big games, making them undoubted starters in the derby at Old Trafford.
Even though Bruno Fernandes isn’t at his best, the numbers produced by him are simply sensational; thus, making him one of the first names on the team sheet.
Nemanja Matic, Donny van de Beek and Jesse Lingard will be strong options to have on the bench, but are not expected to make the Manchester United starting lineup.
Attack
In Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United have arguably the greatest player in the history of the game. Even if the Reds haven’t performed as per their standards, the Portuguese continues to perform at the highest level and with nine goals in 11 appearances across all formats this season, he’ll have a big say in the derby.
Partnering Ronaldo in the Manchester United lineup could be Marcus Rashford, whose pace, power and ability to run in behind defences could cause problems to Manchester City.