To call this Manchester Derby eagerly anticipated would be something of an understatement.
A decade on from the historic 2011/12 title race, the two great rivals meet again, and while the context may be different, there’s still so much riding on this match.
A loss for City would leave them vulnerable to being overtaken by Liverpool. While defeat for Manchester United would see their top-four hopes all but over.
15 years ago, Manchester was undoubtedly red, but now, the tide has turned. City are the dominant force inside the M60, and with that in mind, we’ve had a go at creating a combined XI of players from both clubs.
As you may expect, this is a team dominated by City players, so they’re playing in sky blue.
David De Gea slightly edges out Ederson in goal. The Spaniard has saved United’s skin on several occasions this season, and while the Brazilian is excellent, De Gea just about gets the nod here.
The back four is entirely comprised of City players, and while Ruben Dias’ injury rules him out, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte is still a preferred centre-half pairing capable of winning a Premier League title with 100 points.
The midfield is rather attacking, but it’s hard to argue that based on pure footballing ability there are any better options than Bruno Fernandes, Bernando Silva and Kevin De Bruyne.
We’re implementing Pep Guardiola’s false nine formation for this side, with Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez flanking Phil Foden, meaning that, perhaps controversially, there’s no space for five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, but after just one goal in 2022 so far, it’s hard to argue that Ronaldo deserves to start here.
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