Etihad Stadium sets the stage for the famous Manchester derby between Premier League underperforming giants Manchester United and Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim renew hostilities after the ex-Sporting CP manager thumped his Cityzens counterpart 4-1 in the UEFA Champions League last month.
However, these are different circumstances for the new Red Devils boss.
Amorim’s tenure at Old Trafford has started with a whimper rather than a bang, while Guardiola is enduring the worst period of his remarkable managerial career.
With both sides lagging well behind their seasonal goals, Guardiola and Amorim must be bold with their squad selections for Sunday’s blockbuster.
Manchester City
Juventus inflicted Man City’s seventh defeat across their last ten outings in all competitions, landing a hammer blow on their hopes of securing automatic knockout qualification in the Champions League.
City’s situation in the Premier League is equally bleak, with table-topping Liverpool already eight points off with a game in hand, effectively rendering their quest for a fifth consecutive title dead in the water.
On top of a full-blown crisis, Guardiola must deal with a substantial injury list.
In addition to long-term absentees, Rodri and Oscar Bobb, Manuel Akanji, John Stones and Nathan Ake are on the treatment table.
Rico Lewis picked up a controversial red card at Selhurst Park last weekend, leaving Guardiola with bare bones at the back.
With the 20-year-old unavailable for selection, Josko Gvardiol will likely return to his favourite left-back position.
Ruben Dias could partner up with inexperienced Joshua Wilson-Esbrand at the heart of Man City’s backline, with Kyle Walker retaining his place on the right.
However, Guardiola could ring significant changes further up the pitch, switching from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 following a disheartening display at Juventus.
Jack Grealish could drop from the left wing to the middle of the park to team up with Ilkay Gundogan, paving the way for Jeremy Doku to return to his preferred flank.
Kevin De Bruyne is in pole position to assume playmaking responsibilities behind Erling Haaland. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva may move to the right wing after occupying a more central role in Turin.
Man City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Wilson-Esbrand, Gvardiol; Grealish, Gundogan; Silva, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland.
Manchester United
Back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest put Man Utd at risk of losing three successive Premier League games for the first time since December 2015.
Amorim’s team received a timely confidence boost in midweek UEFA Europa League action, overturning an early second-half deficit to topple Viktoria Plzen 2-1 on the road.
Having halted a dreadful seven-game winless run on the road, United head to the Etihad determined to avoid a fourth away league loss against Man City in a row for the first time since 1955.
Despite Man City’s epic downfall, Amorim must not underestimate his hosts, particularly amid the Red Devils’ effort to adapt to a brand-new 3-4-3 set-up.
Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez have been the Portuguese manager’s most trusted allies in defence, but watch out for Leny Yoro’s potential exclusion in favour of Noussair Mazraoui.
Yoro’s maiden Premier League start was an unmitigated disaster, contributing directly to United’s heart-wrenching 3-2 home defeat to Forest.
Given Man City’s attacking prowess, Amorim would be forgiven for giving Mazroui the nod as the Moroccan’s experience in top-flight football outweighs that of the 19-year-old.
Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte are likely to forge a midfield partnership in the double pivot after Casemiro and Christian Eriksen proved incapable of keeping up with the high intensity this term.
Diogo Dalot and Amad Diallo have been Amorim’s settled options on the wings, with the latter excelling in a new role as a right wing-back.
The only dilemma concerns Bruno Fernandes’ partner behind free-scoring Rasmus Hojlund.
Hojlund has been firing on all cylinders under Amorim, netting five goals in as many outings under the Portuguese, including a match-winning brace at Plzen.
Marcus Rashford stands out as the ideal candidate to play a supporting role, having scored two goals in his last four appearances against Man City.
It means Alejandro Garnacho could drop to the bench despite enjoying a prominent role since Amorim’s arrival.
Man Utd (3-4-3): Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez; Diallo, Mainoo, Ugarte, Dalot; Fernandes, Rashford, Hojlund.
