Manchester United will travel to Manchester City for a much-awaited derby game in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Red Devils failed to tighten their grip on the fourth spot when they were held to a 0-0 draw by relegation-threatened Watford at Old Trafford last weekend. The result means they are just two points above West Ham and Arsenal respectively, although the latter have three games in hand.
Up next is the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium, and Man United will be raring to avenge their defeat in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford, where Man City breezed past their neighbours 2-0.
Manchester United received a double-injury boost during the week when both Scott McTominay and Edinson Cavani returned to full training ahead of the derby clash at the Etihad Stadium.
McTominay had missed the last two games due to illness, while Cavani is back in the frame following a long spell out with a groin problem.
Goalkeeper
David de Gea is a certain starter between the sticks, with the interim manager tweaking his formation to a 4-5-1 in front of the Spanish custodian. De Gea was the sole reason why Man United only lost 2-0 to their neighbours at Old Trafford in November.
Defence
Ralf Rangnick might persist with the central defensive pairing of Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof that kept a clean sheet last time out against Watford, flanked by full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw.
The Red Devils will be expected to do a lot of defending at the Etihad Stadium, which could influence Wan-Bissaka and Shaw’s selection over Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles at full-back positions.
Midfield
Protecting the backline, Fred could be joined by Scott McTominay, who has recovered from his bout with illness and is ready to go. In recent years, the Fred-McTominay partnership has been effective in big games, especially against Man City, and Rangnick could use them in the double-pivot to add more insurance to his defence.
The width in attack will come from Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho, while Bruno Fernandes will bear the responsibility of providing the creative spark in the final third from his favoured No. 10 role. If the Pogba-Fernandes-Sancho axis in midfield clicks, Man United will have a better chance of getting a positive result in the derby.
Attack
One goal in the last eight league games typifies the poor form Cristiano Ronaldo is going through. But in big games and in key moments, the Portuguese superstar has the knack of making a difference, and Rangnick and co. will hope he delivers against their noisy neighbours on Sunday.
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