Manchester United manager Michael Carrick started a very strong lineup last night, in the 4-0 thrashing of Sabah in the Champions League. So we don’t expect to see a whole lot changes, when he picks his first team on Sunday for the derby. If Luke Shaw is indeed match fit, and it sounds like he is, then he comes back into the first team, on the left flank. On the opposite side, in the back line, Diogo Dalot comes back to get the nod, sending Patrick Dorgu back to the bench.
Manchester Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Sept 13, 4:30pm, Old Trafford
Starting XI Predictions: Man United Man City
Team News: Man United Man City
Probability, According to Google: United Win 30% | City Win 45% | Draw 25%
Other than that, the rest of the lineup pretty much picks itself. It’s very straight-forward, given that this is the derby, and you have to lead with the strongest options possible.
City visiting Old Trafford marks a repeat of Carrick’s first game in charge (back then, on an interim basis) after taking over for the sacked Ruben Amorim last January. It resulted in United breaking a four game winless run in the derby series, and with it, started Carrick on a very positive trajectory that eventually landed him the gig full time.
“It’ll definitely be different, just because no games are ever the same,” Carrick said entering the weekend. “I think there’s no way we’re assuming we won last year, we’ll do the same things and everything will be the same.
“I think the confidence that we’ve built over a period of time and feel like we’re getting better all the time, I think that helps us.
“We know it’s a big game, we know it’s an important game. There’s a lot riding on it, it’s pretty obvious to say, but we’re looking forward to it. We’ve got a short space of time to recover and prepare for it, but we’ll make the most of it.”
Manchester United Predicted Starting XI for Manchester Derby
Senne Lammens; Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw; Kobbie Mainoo, Youri Tielemans; Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha; Benjamin Sesko
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, Ratings and RG. 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 and the Washington Post.