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Manchester United are looking to bounce back from their Champions League disappointment in today’s Manchester derby.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side was sent off from Europe’s top club competition when they suffered a 3-2 loss to RB Leipzig on Tuesday night.
The result has put pressure on Solskjaer, increasing the importance of the 5.30pm kickoff against Pep Guardiola’s City later on.
United won both Premier League games against City last season and are aiming for three straight league games against their rivals for the first time since April 2010.
The stakes are high and after strong criticism earlier in the week, Solskjaer could announce the changes at Old Trafford later.
MEN Sport asked United fans chose their starting eleven and this is what they came up with.
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Usually the goalkeeper is the most stable position on the field, but that’s not the case at United right now, where David de Gea has been pressured by Dean Henderson.
All three MEN writers chose Henderson to replace De Gea, who was to blame for Leipzig’s vital third goal, and fans agreed, putting the 23-year-old between the sticks.
The four at the back sent three goals in Germany on Tuesday as Leipzig’s fluid formation shattered them early on, but there aren’t many other options at the back.
For that reason, fans have chosen to stick with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, with the only casualty Luke Shaw giving way to Alex Telles at left back.
The back five are gone, with most opting for an offensive-looking 4-3-3 formation, with Fred holding up behind Donny van de Beek and Bruno Fernandes in midfield. Our graph shows Fernandes as the most defensive midfielder that can only be attributed to a technical glitch!
Fans opted for Edinson Cavani in their preferred starting XI, but MEN Sport confirmed that he did not arrive with his Manchester United teammates at The Lowry Hotel on Friday night.
Solskjaer confirmed that Cavani was training after sustaining an injury in the win against West Ham and would face a late fitness test before the game against City. If the veteran forward is fit enough, fans have supported him to start ahead of Anthony Martial.
It’s a forward-thinking lineup, but the fans clearly feel that offense is the best form of defense after Solskjaer’s troubles against Leipzig.
With the sides separated by a single point in seventh and eighth before kickoff, it’s a great game for both sides of Manchester, with more than just bragging rights on the line.
Manchester United XI vs Man City fans: Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Telles; Fred, Van de Beek, Fernandes; Rashford, Greenwood, Cavani.
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