Solskjaer will feel confident in his team’s ability to end the “noisy neighbours” winning run when he takes his team to the Etihad on Sunday. Despite the recent dip in away form noted above, United remain the only unbeaten travelling team in the Premier League after fourteen (14) away games. United kept City from scoring at Old Trafford in December in the 151st league edition of the Manchester Derby, and Solskjaer will be aiming to replicate that achievement.

A win for Guardiola could see City achieve a seventeen (17) point lead while Solskjaer will be aiming to cut the lead to eleven (11) points. Guardiola has a nearly fully fit squad to choose from, with only Nathan Ake out injured. Solskjaer will be without long term injured Paul Pogba and Juan Mata. Anthony Martial will face a late fitness test while David De Gea may still be out due to a private matter.

United have failed to score in their last three (3) games but Solskjaer will trust his 4-2-1-3 formation when attacking, converting to 4-5-1 out of possession. Matic should make way for the more mobile McTominay alongside Fred in the midfield defensive double-pivot partly blamed for the team’s offensive struggles. Daniel James, Donny Van De Beek, Amad Diallo and Shola Shoretire will be available to make an impact off the bench. Struggling Bruno Fernandez needs improvement for this fixture.

United is the first of four (4) games in ten (10) days for City. Guardiola will field his most potent line up in this title race six (6) pointer. He wants to wrap up the league title as early as possible so he can focus on the elusive Champions League trophy. Although City dominate the league in terms of victories, the team is not as free-scoring as other editions of Guardiola’s teams. The current City squad emphasises possession, ingenuity and defensive solidity. Don’t be surprised to see City line up with a 4-2-3 formation switching to 3-1-6 in attack. City will have to overload the offensive third if they hope to score against United’s compact defence. In-form lkay Gundogan does well in the half-spaces. So does Phil Foden. Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez could make way for them with the false nine (9) role rotating among different City players. They will attempt to drag the United defence out of position.

If Gabriel Jesus retains his start, he is excellent at dropping deep, overloading the middle third, finding space between the lines and releasing runners. Jesus also presses brilliantly, working his socks off for his teammates. Sergio Aguero is unlikely to start due to match-fitness; he could also disrupt Guardiola’s defensive tactics, but he could make the difference off the bench.

Width will be pivotal for both teams. Sterling will struggle against Wan-Bissaka, but making runs in-behind him will open the half-space for runners from the City midfield to shoot or dribble into the box. Walker or Silva can do the same against Luke Shaw. Greenwood is likely to start on the right. He and Wan-Bissaka will need to provide the width to force Joao Cancelo to hold his left-back position rather than push into central midfield as he frequently does. Keeping Cancelo out wide means Gundogan and others will find it harder to make runs from midfield as United would outnumber them. Rashford will also need to keep his width to attract Walker or Rodri. Rashford’s width creates space for Cavani and Bruno. Both teams possess quality from set-pieces and have the ability to shoot from a distance.

Pride and bragging rights are on the line, and not losing is more important to both teams than a win; so, they will give very little to each other in this compact game. Neither team is free-scoring, so we predict a draw and a 0-0 result would not be a shocker.