Man United vs Man City: line-up prediction as Carrick wields the axe

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·15 janvier 2026

Man United vs Man City: line-up prediction as Carrick wields the axe

Manchester United have another head coach at the helm this week for the small matter of a derby match against Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday. Michael Carrick has taken on the interim role until the end of the season, with Darren Fletcher stepping back into his position as Under-18s boss.

The Wallsend man has been known for his positive, entertaining line-ups as a manager, with many praising his Middlesbrough sides for their refreshing football. Carrick and his assistants, Jonathan Woodgate and Steve Holland, should have a strong squad at their disposal, with only Matthijs de Ligt (injury) and Noussair Mazraoui (AFCON) missing out as far as we know.

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Luke Shaw missed the FA Cup loss to Brighton, but he is not reported as injured. Amad and Bryan Mbeumo are both back from AFCON, but with Carrick expected to play four at the back, the question is: which one will play on the right wing?

Defence

Senne Lammens will be in goal.

Shaw is expected to return at left-back, but we are predicting a change at right-back. With Mazraoui still at AFCON, Diogo Dalot is the only specialist in the position. However, he has not performed well in the past couple of games.

It would be an adventurous move for Carrick to put the more energetic Patrick Dorgu in his place, and it would be a way of stamping his personality on the team selection.

If De Ligt remains unavailable, there are four centre-back options to choose from: Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Lisandro Martinez. The more conservative pairing would be Maguire and Martinez, but we expect Carrick to partner one of the younger players with Martinez, perhaps Yoro.

Midfield and Attack

Manuel Ugarte has been doing pretty well as the midfield destroyer, but he is expected to lose his place, with Casemiro returning. He will sit in the six position, with Bruno Fernandes ahead in the eight-to-ten role and Kobbie Mainoo carrying the ball through from defence to attack.

Up front, there are six contenders for three places: Amad, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount, Josh Zirkzee and Ben Sesko.

On current form, the starting trio would be Amad, Mbeumo and Sesko. However, this would mean someone playing out of position on the left. We have therefore gone for Cunha – Sesko – Mbeumo, but it is hard to know which way a new manager will go, and it is certainly not easy to leave Amad out of the side.