Manchester United vs Manchester City Preview: This will likely be City’s best XI at Old Trafford

After a solid win against Club Brugge on Wednesday, Manchester City are now slated to visit Old Trafford for their away league fixture against Manchester United. The Sky Blues are currently holding third place in the Premier League table and therefore, a win against the Red Devils will be of utmost priority for Guardiola’s men on Sunday.

City’s rivals, United, have had an inconsistent start to their season as they have often dropped points in their league campaign, and are yet to hit top gear this term. Their talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo has been their biggest positive and on Sunday, will be one of the biggest threats to the Sky Blues defence.

Aware of the Ronaldo threat, Guardiola admitted that his side will have to do their best to stop the Portuguese ace. He went on to say :

"We saw it last season. They have one of the best players in history, a guy who can be a scoring machine."

Believe it or not, but Guardiola has somehow struggled against the Red Devils in the recent past. Against Solskjaer, the Spaniard has had a mediocre record as he has won only three games out of 8, meaning that he only holds a win percentage of 37.5%.

Manchester City’s starting side will see Ederson don the gloves between the sticks. The Brazilian shot-stopper will be provided company by two central defenders-Ruben Dias and John Stones. Laporte’s red card against Crystal Palace means that Stones will ultimately walk in as the first choice center-back for the Cityzens.

On the defensive flanks, Kyle Walker is set to feature as the right-back. The opposite flank will be filled in by Joao Cancelo, who had an excellent outing against Club Brugge earlier this week.

In the centre of the park, the defensive midfielder role will be occupied by Rodri. Kevin De Bruyne is again in contention for another league start and hence will be slotted as the right central midfielder. Bernardo Silva will be occupying the left-central midfield position and will be handed responsibility to contribute in the attacking third.

Manchester City’s final third will consist of Jack Grealish and is likely to be positioned on the left-wing. Gabriel Jesus will take up the right-wing role in this star-studded side. Phil Foden will be trusted with the no.9  and will look to add more goals to his tally on Sunday.