The run in will provide us a chance to see just how great of a manager Pep Guardiola truly is, or is not. It all starts with the visit to Man United this weekend, and continues on to Championship Sunday. Already long without Rodri, the engine that makes his team go, he is now sans Erling Haaland as well.
What can City be without their two best and most important players? Well, what do they still have left to play for?
Manchester Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Sun April 6, 4:30pm, Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Starting XI Predictions: Man United Man City
Premier League Standing: Manchester City 5th, 51 pts, Man United 13th, 37 points
Google Probability: Manchester City win 45% Draw 26% Man United win 29%
City are through to the FA Cup semifinals, and grabbing a trophy here, with this bunch, would definitely be branded as an achievement.
More importantly though, they’re currently one point behind Chelsea for the fourth and final auto-UEFA Champions League qualification slot.
Grabbing that position, when all is said and done, is top priority for the season now.
Manchester City Starting Lineup Prediction at Man United
Ederson; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Ilkay Gundogan, Nico Gonzalez; Savinho, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku; Omar Marmoush
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.