Lisandro Martinez and Matheus Cunha set to be axed for Manchester City clash as Carrick makes five changes | OneFootball

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Manchester United could hand Ayden Heaven a starting place in defence when they face Manchester City on Sunday.

The Red Devils come into the derby in good spirits following a 4-0 demolition of Azerbaijani side Sabah in the Champions League on Thursday.

Michael Carrick made several changes for the game against Sabah, resting Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford. All four are likely to be recalled.

Extra height in defence

Lisandro Martinez completed the whole match on Thursday. We can only see two reasons why he was the only member of the backline not to be rested. The first would be to gain extra match fitness, which surely would have led to a substitution after an hour or so with Sunday in mind. The other is that Carrick intends to replace him with Ayden Heaven for the big game.

The young defender’s additional height and physical strength could be useful against Erling Haaland. Carrick must decide whether that potential match-up outweighs the experience and distribution Martinez normally offers.

Senne Lammens will, of course, retain his position in goal, with Dalot and Shaw returning in the right and left full-back slots, respectively. Nous Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu will probably make way.

Harry Maguire will also be recalled in central defence.

Leny Yoro provides an alternative if Carrick prefers a different combination, but Matthijs de Ligt is still unavailable.

Midfield: Mainoo partnership deserves to continue

Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans are expected to remain together in the pivot, with both in fine form and ready to tackle Manchester City’s mega-million midfield of Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez. Mason Mount and Andrey Santos are the principal alternatives in midfield, although neither is currently expected to displace Mainoo or Tielemans.

Forwards: Sesko gets the nod over the false nine

Bruno Fernandes will, of course, continue in the number 10 position.

Bryan Mbeumo is nailed on to start on the right as Amad continues to recover from his hamstring injury.

The major attacking decision concerns whether Carrick restores his false-nine system with Matheus Cunha through the middle or starts Sesko as a conventional striker.

Cunha played the entire match against Sabah, which could count against another start only three days later. Our prediction instead has Rashford on the left and Sesko leading the line.

Joshua Zirkzee produced a good cameo on Thursday and offers Carrick another option from the bench, but he is unlikely to be selected from the outset.

That would leave United in their usual 4-2-3-1 shape, with Mainoo and Tielemans protecting the defence while Mbeumo, Fernandes, and Rashford support Sesko.

The most uncertain calls remain Heaven’s possible inclusion and the identity of the centre-forward. Carrick’s final choices will show how heavily Thursday’s workload has influenced his derby planning.

Final Thoughts