Pep Guardiola says he expects Manchester United to be more aggressive under Ralf Rangnick and without Cristiano Ronaldo in their line up to face Manchester City in the derby.
Guardiola made six changes to his City side from the FA Cup win at Peterborough, with injured duo Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake missing out completely, while Jack Grealish retained his place instead of Raheem Sterling in the most notable selection call.
For United, Cristiano Ronaldo misses out with a hip injury, while Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw have Covid. Guardiola talked up Ronaldo's ability in his pre-match press conference, but now prepares to face a United side without their talisman.
ALSO READ: Man City vs Manchester United updates
Guardiola spoke to broadcasters before the game, and explained why he opted for Grealish over Sterling, saying he simply wanted the former Aston Villa man to show freedom in his performance.
He said: "[I want] the best, like all the players, try to do the best. Football is all about success, but you can't have success if you're happy. If you are happy, you play. Always I ask the players to play, the only way to be happy is the reason we're here. We're together and with Jack and other ones we try to do the best performance as possible."
And Guardiola was inevitably asked about Ronaldo's absence for United, who also left Marcus Rashford on the bench as teenager Anthony Elanga started.
"I don't know," he said when asked to predict United's formation without Ronaldo.
"I guess with the philosophy from Ralf Rangnick they will have a lot of players inside and deep runners. High intense pressing and aggressive. We expect that.
"It is an option [the false nine]. They have played like this with Fernandes as holding midfield, or maybe 4-4-2 diamond. The shape, the intention they want to do. They can play with the wingers as Bruno and Pogba and come inside. We will see after five minutes.
"Every game is different. Always United is a tough opponent. Being upfront in the table or tight or behind, always a tough game in the previous seasons. Counter attacks, with Ralf maybe different if Cristiano doesn't play because they'll be more aggressive for the philosophy he has."
Sign up to our City newsletter so you never miss an update from the Etihad Stadium this season.
Catch up on all the latest Blues headlines in our Man City section
