Erik ten Hag has discovered another Manchester United starter for Man City derby

You could hardly call it vintage, convincing or even good but Manchester United - just about - managed to scrape three successive wins together on Tuesday night.

It was a crucial victory, too, a hard-fought 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen that finally saw United get some points on the board in the Champions League. Erik ten Hag's side still sit third in the table behind Galatasaray and Bayern Munich but are now in a much stronger position than they would have been had they failed to win again.

It took a goal from an unlikely source in Harry Maguire and a dramatic, last-gasp penalty save from Andre Onana but United managed to overcome a poor display to win in pulse-raising circumstances. United have been playing with fire in their recent matches and although they have produced galvanising wins, if it continues they are sure to get burned.

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The weekend brings with it a much tougher opponent than Brentford, Sheffield United or FC Copenhagen. It brings the best team on the planet and United's fierce rivals. It brings Manchester City.

If United start against Pep Guardiola's side as they have in their last three outings, they are likely to be so far behind that there will be no chance of a comeback or late winner. In Erling Haaland alone City have enough firepower to sink a U-boat and that's not even counting the red-hot Julian Alvarez, the electric Jeremy Doku or the excellent Phil Foden.

The Blues might not be at their best themselves just yet but they remain streets ahead of United and will punish their neighbours severely if they leave as much space and are as wasteful in possession as they have been of late. Which is why