Although the rivalry of Manchester United and Liverpool is much fiercer, it’s the Mancunian derby matches that year by year are becoming an arena for mouthwatering and unpredictable battles. This Sunday The Red Devils – still without Luke Shaw, Paddy McNair, Jimmy Wilson and Ashley Young – will be hosting their noisy neighbors for yet another epic collision.
Goalkeeper
If the all-time Soviet legend Lev Yashin was alive, he would definitely invite David De Gea for a cup of tea with some fine biscuits in his cozy Moscow apartment just to let the young Spaniard know that he sees him as his successor in the pantheon of the celestial goalkeepers.
Defense
Matteo Darmian was an unused sub in Moscow, as LVG wanted his fastest defender (7.06 kph average speed) to be fresh against City like tomatoes in a fancy Italian restaurant.
As Sergio Agüero is missing the tie, leaving Manchester City not so dangerous and fluid in the CF zone, Daley Blind may partner the monumental Chris Smalling in the center; the ex-Ajax man is pivotal in those early attack build-ups, while Phil Jones is useful mainly in cancelling out the opponent’s attempts rather than in creating ones for his team.
Louis Van Gaal has recently revealed, that Chris Smalling is not only great on the pitch, but also – in the dressing room, and this curious fact may transform into a captain’s armband for the Englishman
Marcos Rojo will definitely be happy not to see Agüero on Sunday, as he is to start in the third match in a row.
Midfield
Bastian Schweinsteiger was subbed in the half-time at Khimki Stadium; he will completely enjoy his first derby game, relishing the main reason of his move to England – the chance of battling in a highly competitive league, where the word ‘relax’ is as irrelevant as the notion of the Christmas holiday.
Michael Carrick – having spent just 18th minute on the pitch after that disastrous loss to Arsenal, is to partner the German in the midfield.
Juan Mata – not involved in the Moscow tie, will do his best to prove – in the possible absence of David Silva – who is the real magician of Manchester.
Get used to see Anthony Martial wider on the left, as Memphis Depay’s ego is still not coping with the burden of United’s shirt No. 7.
Ander Herrera was the best player against Everton last week; he didn’t let anybody down with his neat performance in Moscow either with 100% accurate long-balls (3 out of 3) and overall 95% passing accuracy. The Spaniard will set his mind to the attack on Sunday, clearly understanding that the brighter he shines during this kind of extremely important matches, the bigger Vicente Del Bosque will open his eyes and eventually call the-ex Athletic de Bilbao leader to the national side for Euro-2016.
Attack
A day after his 30th birthday (somebody stop the time!), Wayne Rooney – still out of form – will lead his teammates to the clash, where Manchester United will prove they are ready for the silverware this season. Though, first, Wayne must prove that he is ready to play as a captain by turning the fields of green into the fields of soot.
(4-2-3-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
