Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford will start, but Diogo Dalot will be unavailable for the game between Manchester United and Manchester City on Saturday.
Manchester United will look to continue the recent winning run when they welcome Manchester City to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon. And Erik ten Hag has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Diogo Dalot will not feature against Manchester City due to a hamstring injury he sustained versus Charlton Athletic this week. In addition, Jadon Sancho remains unavailable for the foreseeable future. And Donny van de Beek is done for the season due to the knee injury he picked up against Bournemouth.
During his pre-match press conference, ten Hag confirmed Dalot’s absence due to the hamstring issue. In addition, the Dutchman revealed that Anthony Martial is struggling with a problem with his leg. The Manchester United manager also added that Wout Weghorst, the Red Devils’ second January signing, will not feature against Manchester City.
“I think Diogo Dalot is not available and Anthony Martial, he trained this morning so we have to wait to see how he recovers from this training and if he’s available. We will make the decision tomorrow.”
“It is a small thing in his leg [with Martial] and, if he is not available for tomorrow, it will be Wednesday [at Crystal Palace]. Weghorst wasn’t available in the last weeks and it could be a bonus if he was. Hopefully, he will soon be there and also we are winning a lot of games without Anthony Martial.”
Erik ten Hag will ring in the changes on Saturday, shuffling almost the entire starting lineup for the derby. So David de Gea will return in the goal, with Manchester United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, and Luke Shaw pick themselves in the backline. And Aaron Wan-Bissaka should replace Dalot on the right flank.
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have formed the first-choice pairing in the middle of the park. And the duo will replace Scott McTominay and Fred in the double pivot. Bruno Fernandes should be the most advanced midfielder for Manchester United, coming in for Kobbie Mainoo.
Antony will be the only player retaining his spot in the starting lineup. The Brazilian will start on the right flank, with Marcus Rashford replacing Alejandro Garnacho on the left. Finally, Martial should be fit enough to start, replacing Anthony Elanga as the central striker.
Predicted Manchester United XI: de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Martial
