Predicted Man Utd line-up to face Man City, Michael Carrick to make five changes

Manchester United are looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League when they host rivals Man City.

Although Manchester United beat Sabah FK 4-0 on Thursday night, the 199th Manchester Derby offers Michael Carrick’s side a chance to bounce back from the 2-2 draw against Everton.

City pose a completely different threat to United than Everton or Sabah, which means Carrick is expected to tweak his team slightly for Sunday’s match.

Here is our predicted United line-up to take on City.

Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images

How Manchester United could line-up against Man City

United will definitely be without three players against City, while Luke Shaw is a doubt after being left out of the squad for the Champions League opener.

• Amad Diallo
• Carlos Baleba
• Matthijs de Ligt
• Luke Shaw (doubt)

With that in mind, here is how we expect Carrick to line United up against City.

Senne Lammes: The Belgian will be looking to keep a clean sheet for the second consecutive match. Furthermore, he kept a clean sheet against City last season.

Diogo Dalot: Carrick rested Dalot against Sabah, but he is expected to replace Noussair Mazraoui at right back.

Harry Maguire: Like Dalot, Maguire was rested midweek. Carrick will be eager to use his experience in defence as United try to deal with Erling Haaland.

Lisandro Martinez: The Argentine has proven he can beat Haaland, and his forward passes can help unleash United’s counter-attacks.

Luke Shaw: Although he is listed as a doubt after missing the win over Sabah, Carrick suggested the injury wasn’t serious. Otherwise, Patrick Dorgu will be ready.

Andrey Santos: The Brazilian must start against City on Sunday. He’s the best option at Carrick’s disposal to protect the back four, especially with Carlos Baleba injured. This isn’t a game where United are expected to dominate possession like previous matches, which is why Carrick needs to tweak things in midfield.

Kobbie Mainoo: United’s best central midfielder so far this season. There were shades of Paul Scholes with his passing against Sabah, but City won’t give him that much space to operate. Luckily, he is amazing at playing in tight spaces.

**Bruno Fernandes: **Youri Tielemans is the unlucky one to miss out because he has been playing well alongside Mainoo, but Fernandes will be tasked with pulling the strings in attack. He is the one who makes United tick.

Bryan Mbeumo: If United are to hit City on the counterattack, they need pace in attack. Mbeumo brings that to the table, along with an eye for goal, after scoring two in the first three Premier League matches of the season.

Marcus Rashford: Rashford has scored six goals in previous Manchester derbies. What a game it would be to score your first goal of the season.

Benjamin Sesko: After starting his first match of the season on Thursday and being substituted after the hour mark, it looks like Carrick is preparing his Slovenian striker to be ready for the derby. It’s great news because United have played all three league games without starting with a striker so far this season.

• ⚡️ KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Manchester United host Man City on Sunday
• Michael Carrick is expected to make changes to the team that beat Sabah FK 4-0 in the Champions League
• Benjamin Sesko could make his first Premier League start of the season

Man City team news

City head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed that Nico O’Reilly is fit and available for the derby.

The City full-back was forced to withdraw from their 1-0 win over Coventry City last weekend.

As a result, O’Reilly missed City’s Champions League win over FC Porto on Tuesday night.

Jeremy Doku will miss the game.

City have an advantage of having two days extra to prepare for the derby, considering United played on Thursday night.