Man City vs Man Utd: Match preview, team news and predicted line-up

Manchester United will be making a trip to the ‘noisy neighbours’ at Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Louis van Gaal is on borrowed time at United following the Europa League exit. He is now under immense pressure to achieve the near-impossible task of claiming a top spot spot in the league.

Earlier this season, when United hosted City in at Old Trafford, the game ended in a dull goalless draw.

Manchester City will be without captain Vincent Kompany for the game on Sunday. City have reached the Champions League quarter-finals, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain, for the first time in the club history, but they have fallen off the pace in the Premier League title race and could even be facing a battle to cling onto a top-four place.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini will be fully aware that a win will be vital on Sunday and it could even spark a late title charge. The Citizens trail leaders Leicester by 12 points and are also behind Tottenham and Arsenal in the league table.

Pellegrini, meanwhile, will be replaced by Pep Guardiola in the summer as City look to step up to another level under the Bayern Munich manager. The Chilean admits that fans of both clubs have a right to expect more.

“You as a fan of a big team, you always expect to win the title,” he said. “It’s the same thing I talk about in terms of the mentality of the fans. They want to win. They deserve the best we can do.”

Defeat would almost certainly seal Van Gaal’s fate at Old Trafford – but Pellegrini believes the Dutchman can handle the pressure.

However, Louis van Gaal is hoping for the win at Etihad Stadium. He said : “I hope City is the catalyst. We have to beat City and we have a chance to still qualify (for Champions League).

Team News:

Daley Blind, Memphis, Morgan Schneiderlin, Michael Carrick, Guillermo Varela, Marcos Rojo, Marouane Fellaini and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson were all spotted heading into the club’s training complex and could feature in the matchday squad.

Both sides will be without their captains in Wayne Rooney and Vincent Kompany due to respective injuries. Delph, De Bruyne and Nasri are out for City and Otamendi is a doubt.

Manchester United Predicted Lineup:

De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Rojo, Blind; Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger; Memphis, Mata, Martial; Rashford