The Manchester Derby is right around the corner! Sunday will see Man City and Man United reignite their rivalry in Matchweek 12 of the Premier League.
Guardiola's men lead the standings and are one of the favorites to win the title. Mourinho's crew, on the other hand, has endured a turbulent season with atrocious displays here and there.
However, the Red Devils appear to slowly be finding their groove. They are in the seventh position, four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, and have lost only once in their last seven games.
With an upturn in form, do any of the Man United players deserve a spot in a Manchester Derby combined XI after being slatted left, right, and center at the beginning of the campaign? Here's our list.
Goalkeeper: A case for De Gea
Okay, Ederson's tally of seven clean sheets is the most by any goalkeeper this season in the Premier League, with De Gea boasting only one after 11 games. However, the Brazilian benefits from a solid defense while Man United's back-four has left the Spanish shot-stopper exposed. The Old Trafford custodian continues to impress with his quick reflexes and remains one of the best goalkeepers in the world, thus making our combined XI.
Back-four: Guardiola's men dominate
While Luke Shaw deserves all the credit in the world for his return to form, leaving out Benjamin Mendy for the Englishman is a stretch given the Frenchman is excellent on both ends of the pitch. Elsewhere, Man United defenders have no claim on a position over Laporte, Stones, and Walker given that the Citizens have only conceded four goals this entire campaign.
The midfield trio
Fernandinho will be the defensive midfielder protecting the back-four while David Silva is an obvious inclusion. They are joined by Paul Pogba, who despite all the criticism, remains a deadly midfielder when attacking.
Yes, he is sloppy when shielding the defense and gives up possession. However, in our combined XI he will be playing in a more advanced position, a role which saw him scored twice in that 3-2 comeback Manchester Derby win.
Attacking three: Guardiola's stars joined by in-form Frenchman
Spearheading the attack is Sergio Aguero, this season's joint-top scorer. To his right is Raheem Sterling, the Englishman that has contributed to 11 goals in the English top-flight this term - scoring six and assisting five.
On the left, the Etihad Stadium duo is joined by Anthony Martial. The Frenchman has scored five goals in his last five games and thus gets a nod.
Our Manchester Derby combined XI
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