Club football returns in emphatic fashion this weekend for Manchester City, as they lock horns with bitter local rivals Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
Making light work of Wolverhampton Wanderers in their most recent Premier League outing via a 0-3 win, the English top-flight champions will now be hoping to do the same against Erik ten Hag’s side at the Etihad Stadium.
While Manchester City still have a flawless home record so far this season, they have lost on three occasions, drawn once, and won once across their past five derby fixtures on their own turf.
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To add to that, Manchester United have now seemingly put their poor start to the campaign behind them, registering four straight victories, and beating the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal in the process.
In the 188th meeting between the bitter city rivals, in a clash that always promises to be box-office, here is how we expect Manchester City to line-up on Sunday afternoon!
Predicted Team
As is the case for any Premier League encounter, Ederson will start in between the sticks for the hosts.
After undertaking a significant number of minutes for England during the most recent international break, a fully-fit Kyle Walker will return to his usual spot at right-back.
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With John Stones ruled out of action for up to two weeks - as confirmed by Pep Guardiola on Friday afternoon - through a hamstring injury against Germany, Manuel Akanji is likely to take his place in the side.
You can read the full fitness update on John Stones HERE.
Ruben Dias is set to partner the Swiss international in the centre of defence.
Joao Cancelo will likely start from left-back once again this weekend, as he continues to hold down the role ahead of summer signing Sergio Gomez.
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As Kalvin Phillips continues to struggle with a shoulder problem and now looks to recover from surgery, Rodri is the only option for Pep Guardiola to select as his defensive midfielder on Sunday.
You can read the latest update on Kalvin Phillips HERE.
Despite Ilkay Gundogan’s sparkling start to the season, Bernardo Silva’s excellent display against Wolves before the international break may earn him a spot above the German in Manchester City’s line-up on derby day.
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Kevin De Bruyne is potentially the most in-form midfielder in Europe so far this term, which makes him virtually impossible to drop, especially for such a massive contest.
With Phil Foden dovetailing with the Belgian international in sublime fashion in the Sky Blues’ latest 0-3 win against Bruno Lage’s side, a start on the right-wing seems likely for the 22-year-old.
Erling Haaland is likely to be the first name on Manchester City’s team sheet for a large share of this season, and the same is expected to be the case against Erik ten Hag’s men.
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Jack Grealish put in arguably his best performance in sky blue to date against Wolves, and could be expected to be given yet another chance at impressing onlookers in the Manchester Derby.
Starting XI: Ederson; Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo; Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne; Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish.
Substitutes: Stefan Ortega Moreno, Rico Lewis, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake, Sergio Gomez, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez, Cole Palmer.
Topics: Jack Grealish, Aymeric Laporte, Manchester City, Manchester United, Premier League, Football
Srinivas Sadhanand