3. Jadon Sancho
Sancho is looking more like himself with each passing game. The former Borussia Dortmund winger has endured a relatively difficult first season at Manchester United. But, after a slow start, he has come good for Ralf Rangnick. His goal against Chelsea made sure that United salvaged at least a point against Chelsea. He has scored twice this season and has assisted on as many occasions.
Sancho, 21, is one of the brightest prospects in European football. He is most lethal when breaking from the attack. His pace and his dribbling will be put to test against City’s Joao Cancelo. United will not get many goal-scoring opportunities against City but will get limited chances to break from the pressure. This is where Sancho will be the key.
It will be an interesting match-up between Jadon Sancho and Joao Cancelo. Who do you think could come out on top?
4. Bernardo Silva
Pep Guardiola recently said in a press conference that some players run the team without having statistics to back their contributions. Silva is one such player. Make no mistake, he has scored seven goals and has assisted once this season in the Premier League which are decent numbers. However, the numbers fall short of justifying how good the Portuguese midfielder has been for Pep Guardiola, this season.
He has averaged 1.6 key passes per game, in addition to having an average pass success rate of 88.8%. Pep has used Silva as a false nine more often than not, this season. In the absence of a pure striker, Silva has made the false nine spot his own. The fascinating aspect of Bernardo Silva’s gameplay is his versatility. He can play almost anywhere in the midfield and the frontline.
Silva combined with De Bruyne will be essential to City’s chances on Sunday. The duo will be looking to create chances while also attempting on goal by themselves. United cannot afford to give too much time and space on the ball to this duo. United will have to pay if they commit these blunders. However, they cannot play out of their positions for long, especially if they are employing a low block. It will be a difficult test for Ralf Rangnick and his men to contain Silva and De Bruyne.
