Predicted Starting Line-Up: Manchester United vs Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Bragging rights take centre stage this weekend as Manchester City prepare for the Manchester derby, with far more than three points on the line against their local rivals.

Tuesday night saw Pep Guardiola’s side extend their unbeaten run to 13 matches across all competitions with a 0-2 win over Newcastle United in the first-leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Antoine Semenyo grabbed his second goal in as many matches to open the scoring for the Blues, calmly tucking away Jeremy Doku’s cross. The game remained a close-run affair until the 97th minute, when Rayan Cherki rounded off a beautifully worked move, started by Rayan Ait-Nouri and Semenyo, sending City into the second-leg with a two-goal advantage.

Attention now turns to seventh-placed Manchester United, although league position becomes secondary in a fixture of this magnitude with pride, momentum and local supremacy all on the line in a derby that rarely needs added motivation.

Factor in the pressure on Pep Guardiola and Manchester City of closing the points gap on current Premier League leaders Arsenal this weekend, and it is clear that a fierce contest awaits.

Manchester United’s form stands in stark contrast to that of City, arriving with just one win from their last seven matches – a run so damaging that a managerial change was deemed necessary in an attempt to salvage their season. Michael Carrick will oversee proceedings for the remainder of the season, following Ruben Amorim’s year at the club.

The last meeting between the two sides finished 3-0 with an early Phil Foden goal and a second half brace from Erling Haaland securing victory over the Trafford-based side. Another victory here would send Manchester City 16 points clear of the Red Devils.

Here’s how we predict City will line-up on Saturday afternoon at Old Trafford!

Predicted XI

After taking a break from action in the last two matches, Gianluigi Donnarumma is set to feature in his second Manchester derby after his debut in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. James Trafford may have performed admirably in recent cup fixtures, but there is nothing to suggest any forthcoming changes to the goalkeeping hierarchy.

Matheus Nunes has gone from strength to strength this season and shows no signs of slowing down. Despite Rico Lewis’ impressive performances over the past two matches, his involvement may again be limited to a substitute role, with Nunes continuing to justify his place in the side for the biggest occasions.

With injuries to Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and John Stones, Pep Guardiola has put his trust in a duo of young central defenders in recent fixtures. Abdukodir Khusanov and Max Alleyne have looked every bit as comfortable as their more experienced counterparts over the last three fixtures, and could start once more here.

Only Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall managed more tackles (4) than Khusanov’s three in Tuesday night’s fixture, and nobody managed more interceptions than Alleyne’s three.

The two defenders also completed more passes than any other player, with 65 for Alleyne and 62 for Khusanov. There may be questions regarding their lack of experience in games of this magnitude, but all signs suggest that both are more than ready for what lies ahead.

Nico O’Reilly found himself in a holding midfield role against Newcastle and put on a performance that showcased just how far the 20-year-old has come since his first appearance in that position against Manchester United in last season’s Community Shield clash.

Despite impressing in the middle of the park, a return to left-back seems the obvious decision for the derby. O’Reilly’s physical presence alone may be enough to get him the nod over Rayan Ait-Nouri, even with an impressive performance from the Algerian in his return to club action on Tuesday night.

Nico O’Reilly stood out as more than a match for an incredibly physical Newcastle United midfield, once again making it clear that he is up to the task for a match of this scale.

After spending the best part of 2025 ruled out through injury, Rodri is beginning to look ready for a full return to regular action and it could not have come at a better time.

With fixtures piling up for a relatively new-look Manchester City squad, Rodri’s big-game experience and game-reading ability will be invaluable as the Blues look to chase down Arsenal at the top of the table.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was born for the biggest of occasions and the Manchester derby is the perfect opportunity to remind the world exactly why he was named as the world’s best player in 2024.

In his last start against Chelsea, nobody created more chances (4) or had more touches (96) than Rodri, and only Ruben Dias (76) completed more passes than the Spaniard’s 69. With Nico ruled out for the last match, Rodri is the obvious choice to anchor the side for this one.

Bernardo Silva against Newcastle served as a reminder of exactly why he was made club captain. The Portuguese midfielder offers a level of tenacity and gamesmanship that is absolutely crucial in matches like this. Nobody thrives more in a hostile atmosphere than Bernardo, making Old Trafford the perfect stage for him to show exactly what he’s made of.

Another player who routinely thrives under derby day pressure is Phil Foden. While Tijjani Reijnders has done more than enough to earn a spot in the side with five goal involvements in his last eight games, Foden boasts a record of seven goals and an assist in 16 matches against the Red Devils.

Either player would be entirely deserving of a start in this one, but the Manchester City academy graduate is often at his brilliant best on derby days and that alone may get him the nod here.

Rayan Cherki‘s late goal against Newcastle was his 17th goal involvement of the season, now averaging a goal or assist every 74 minutes to give him the best ratio of any player in Europe’s top-five leagues.

Having already stated his desire to “wait for the game to kill them”, Rayan Cherki may finally get his opportunity to face Manchester United again after missing out on the last derby through injury.

Erling Haaland may be “exhausted” if Pep Guardiola’s post-match conference on Tuesday night is to be believed, but with Omar Marmoush set to appear in a third place play off at AFCON with Egypt, his services up front will be required once more this weekend.

Even fatigued there may be no one in football you would want leading the line against Manchester United more than Erling Haaland. With eight goals and three assists in six matches against United, the Norwegian striker clearly relishes the opportunity to get one up on the red side of the city. And having blanked in his last two games, no one will be more desperate to get on the scoresheet.

With three goal involvements in his first two games in Sky Blue, Antoine Semenyo has already made himself a fan favourite at the Etihad Stadium.

The Ghanaian winger has three goals in four appearances against Manchester United and in current form, you would likely bet on him adding to that this weekend. Jeremy Doku would also be more than deserving of a spot in the starting XI, but based on goalscoring form alone, Semenyo may just get the nod here.

Starting XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Alleyne, O’Reilly; Rodri, Bernardo (C), Foden; Cherki, Haaland, Semenyo.

Substitutes: Trafford, Lewis, Ake, Ait-Nouri, Nico, Reijnders, Mukasa, McAidoo, Doku.