How Man City could line up in Premier League clash vs Man United (4-1-4-1) | OneFootball

Manchester City travel to Old Trafford to take on “noisy neighbours” Manchester United on Saturday afternoon, with the title contenders hoping for another emphatic victory.

Man City manager Pep Guardiola couldn’t have asked for a better response to a frustrating start to 2026.

The Cityzens were held to a draw in three consecutive games against Sunderland, Chelsea, and Brighton & Hove Albion, which opened the door for Arsenal to extend their lead at the Premier League summit.

Guardiola’s side took out their frustration on third-tier Exeter City, with a ruthless 10-1 demolition in the FA Cup third round.

That set the tone for a subsequent 2-0 win against Newcastle in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg showdown at St. James’ Park.

Man City will now make the short trip to the Theatre of Dreams with back-to-back wins in the bag and the confidence to extend that run to three in a row across all competitions.

Guardiola’s side were also ruthless the last time they met United, running out emphatic 3-0 winners in the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium.

Both sides will enter this contest with 11 points between them, although United will also fancy their chances after stringing together a four-match unbeaten Premier League run.

How Man City could line up

It’s too early to suggest Man City are back in their groove, but another win against United could send a strong message to title rivals Arsenal, who will face a tricky test against Nottingham Forest later on.

Guardiola has lost only nine Manchester derbies since joining Man City and will hope to avoid a 10th, even with up to seven players missing.

Man City will have to get the job done without Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Savinho, Oscar Bobb, Omar Marmoush, and Nico Gonzalez.

However, Man City’s injury woes have unearthed an interesting partnership between Abdukodir Khusanov and Max Alleyne that has taken even Guardiola by surprise.

The young duo are poised to keep their place at the heart of defence in front of Gianluigi Donnarumma, while Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes line up on the flanks.

Rodri will anchor the midfield with Antoine Semenyo, Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, and Bernardo Silva ahead of him, while Erling Braut Haaland leads the line.