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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Joe Bray

Stones in but no Grealish — Man City predicted line up vs Manchester United

John Stones should lead the changes from the Manchester City side that lost to Crystal Palace last weekend when they travel to Manchester United on Saturday.

City reacted to that defeat with an impressive 4-1 Champions League win against Club Brugge this week, with a number of players impressing to try and force their way into Pep Guardiola's derby line-up.

One player who won't be involved is Aymeric Laporte, sent off against Palace and serving a one-match ban against United.

Guardiola opted to rest Ruben Dias in midweek, pairing Stones and Laporte, so it's likely that Stones will rekindle his impressive partnership with Dias for the first time this season.

The rest of the back five picks itself, assuming Kyle Walker is passed fit after limping off against Brugge.

If fit, Walker would be at right-back with Joao Cancelo on the left after his three assists in the week. Should Walker miss out, Cancelo would go to the right and Aleks Zinchenko would slot in on the opposite side.

Rodri is an automatic pick in defensive midfield, while Kevin De Bruyne was rested against Brugge to presumably keep him in the best condition for Old Trafford. Bernardo Silva, who played 75 minutes on Wednesday, is undroppable alongside him.

Then comes the difficult decisions in attack.

What side would you pick to face United? Pick your best XI here:

Phil Foden showed against Liverpool that he should be on the left in these big games, while Raheem Sterling showed enough in his cameo against Brugge to suggest he could be recalled in the middle.

That would be harsh on Jack Grealish, but Guardiola will want experience and confidence from his team against an unpredictable United side, and Sterling could work well through the middle to stretch United's likely back three.

On the right, Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez both scored in the week and looked dangerous, but Jesus might get the nod simply because he played fewer minutes. Mahrez, Grealish and Gundogan would be important options off the bench.

Predicted Man City XI vs United: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Cancelo; Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo; Jesus, Sterling, Foden.

Read our Manchester derby betting preview of United vs City here.

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