Pep Guardiola’s team earned a draw against Crystal Palace last weekend but suffered another defeat midweek, losing to Juventus, which severely impacted their chances of advancing to the Champions League knockout stages.
City have now won just once in their last 10 matches across all competitions, with seven losses, including a 4-1 drubbing by Sporting Lisbon under the guidance of Ruben Amorim, now managing United.
City’s poor form shows no signs of improving, with United looking to capitalize on their visit to the Etihad on Sunday.
A small positive for Guardiola is that there are no new injury concerns following their trip to Italy. The defending champions still miss Rodri, but Mateo Kovacic has returned to training and could be available for selection in midfield this weekend.
At least one change is forced, as Rico Lewis will serve a suspension after his red card at Selhurst Park.
Guardiola will also have to make a key decision in goal, having dropped Ederson from his starting lineup in the Premier League for recent matches against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, and Palace. It seems likely he will continue with Stefan Ortega in goal.
At United, the optimism surrounding Ruben Amorim’s appointment has diminished after back-to-back league defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. The shock departure of Dan Ashworth has also contributed to a sense of uncertainty at Old Trafford.
United tried to recover with a win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday, with Amorim making several changes as part of his rotation. Rasmus Hojlund came off the bench to score twice, securing all three points, while Amad Diallo once again played a key role in attack.
Mason Mount, who replaced the ineffective Joshua Zirkzee, made a positive impact and will hope to start at the Etihad.
With Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof both fit again, United’s injury situation is improving, with Luke Shaw being their only absentee.
Predicted Man City XI to face Man Utd:
Ortega, Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Bernardo, Gundogan, Savio, de Bruyne, Doku, Haaland
Predicted Man Utd XI to face Man City:
Onana, Yoro, de Ligt, Martinez, Mazraoui, Mainoo, Ugarte, Dalot, Diallo, Fernandes, Hojlund
