Manchester United expected XI to face Manchester City
Manchester United travel to rivals Man City looking to kickstart their season
Manchester United face Manchester City in a crucial derby as they look to bounce back from consecutive Premier League defeats.
Ruben Amorim’s side secured a late 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in midweek, but the Czech minnows still caused problems for United, highlighting that Amorim has much work to do to get his team back on track.
Man United will be aiming to pile more misery on City, who are also enduring a poor run of form, with seven defeats in their last ten matches.
Amorim is expected to make several changes from the team that beat Plzen, continuing his rotation policy after five alterations for the Europa League clash.
He may keep the same backline that featured in the Czech Republic, with Noussair Mazraoui once again filling in as a makeshift centre-back alongside Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez, with Andre Onana in goal – meaning Leny Yoro could be left out.
In midfield, Amorim started with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes against Plzen, but Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo – who both played in last week’s 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest – are likely to return.
Amad Diallo could revert to a wing-back role after starting as an attacker on Thursday, with Diogo Dalot continuing on the opposite flank.
Fernandes is expected to push forward and join the attack, alongside the returning Alejandro Garnacho.
Rasmus Hojlund, who scored a brace against Plzen, is also set to start upfront, despite Marcus Rashford’s strong goalscoring history at the Etihad.
United currently sit 13th in the Premier League and are desperate for points to climb the table.
They will fancy their chances against a City side struggling for confidence, following their 2-0 defeat to Juventus on Wednesday night.
However, Amorim has insisted that United are focusing on their own issues, having collected just 19 points from 15 games, and are fully expecting a strong City team.
Manchester United expected XI (3-4-2-1): Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez: Dalot, Ugarte, Mainoo, Amad; Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
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