Man Utd predicted line-up as Erik ten Hag brings stars back for Manchester derby

Manchester United will hope that the international break hasn’t slowed their momentum as they prepare to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Erik ten Hag will take charge of his first Manchester derby, hoping to repeat Ralf Rangnick’s feat of defeating Manchester City at the first attempt. Last season, United fell 4-1 in the equivalent meeting, allowing City to clinch a league double over their rivals with a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag provided an upbeat update on some of his squad members following recent injury issues, while others may be kept out from the start due to extensive airline rides to represent their different national teams. Mirror Football forecasts the Manchester United starting lineup as they attempt to end their opponents’ unblemished start to the season.

Defense and goalkeeper

David de Gea was almost certainly going to start, as he has in every game so far, but Martin Dubravka’s situation further strengthens the Spaniard’s position. Dubravka was one of United’s replacements in the Europa League game against Real Sociedad, but he didn’t play against Sheriff and had to return home early from Slovakia due to an injury.

The central defensive combo of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in front of the goalie is not anticipated to be affected. Due to Harry Maguire’s injury, he will not be a threat to the starters, hence Victor Lindelof will be the next man up if called upon.

During the break, Luke Shaw reminded United fans and management of his offensive ability, scoring for England against Germany. However, it does not appear to be enough to displace Tyrell Malacia at left-back, with Diogo Dalot expected to hold his spot on the right after scoring twice for Portugal against Czech Republic.

Midfield

In other words, Ten Hag may be tempted to give Casemiro his first Premier League start. However, given that he and his colleague Fred have recently been busy for Brazil on the other side of the Atlantic, the manager may decide to wait before sending him in against the champs, given the circumstances surrounding the game.

In recent weeks, the manager has benefited from a deep-lying pivot of Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen, with the latter sliding back from the advanced role he occupied at the start of the season. Eriksen, on the other hand, obviously remains a goal threat, scoring from distance for Denmark against Croatia.

According to BBC Sport journalist Danny Murphy, Ten Hag may have to choose between Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes for the derby. However, after seeing success with both in his lineup, the Dutchman may decide to follow the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t repair it’ attitude and stick with the two.

Attack

United’s last two Europa League games were played with a different lineup. Cristiano Ronaldo started both games in place of the injured Marcus Rashford, while Casemiro and Anthony Elanga made their debuts in Real Sociedad’s defeat.

Ten Hag revealed Rashford has returned to training, and the England international might return to the starting lineup immediately if the manager believes he is well enough. If not, it will be a battle between Ronaldo and Anthony Martial, who has returned to the lineup after appearing only once this season.

There is little reason to believe the manager will stray from the wide partnership of Antony and Jadon Sancho, which served him well in the previous league game against Arsenal. Both started against Sheriff, with Sancho giving England manager Gareth Southgate a reminder with a goal in Moldova.