When Manchester United host Man City on Sunday, it really could be anybody’s ballgame. Despite United being buried on the second page of the standings, this is a toss-up, pick’em kind of Manchester Derby. After all, United have both home ground advantage here and the confidence from having already taken the reverse fixture on the road, 2-1 back on December 15.
And while, yes, Manchester City remain superior in quality, talent and depth, they are also without the services of their best individual player in all three outfield position groups.
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: Man City 5th, 51 pts, Manchester United 13th, 37 points
Google Probability: Man City win 45% Draw 26% Manchester United win 29%
Plus, United have been playing better as of late. Prior to the loss to surging Nottingham Forest in midweek, United had been undefeated in their last six across all competitions, seven if you count the score draw with Fulham that eventually ended in a penalty shootout L.
So with that all said, here is the top first team that we think United manager Ruben Amorim can select this weekend.
Although certainly the case can be made for other selection choices in all three outfield position groups here.
Man United Starting Lineup Prediction vs Man City
Andre Onana; Leny Yoro, Victor Lindelof, Noussair Mazraoui; Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Toby Collyer, Bruno Fernandes; Alejandro Garnacho, Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund
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.