Man City have hinted at six confirmed starters for Manchester United clash

Pep Guardiola will rotate his Manchester City side at the Etihad on Sunday for the visit of Manchester United, but fans can expect some familiar faces to be near-certain starters.

Guardiola loves a team sheet surprise, and Sunday will be no different if the manager spots a tactical advantage to be had by altering his approach in a fixture that has favoured the away team in recent meetings.

With injury concerns for Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias to consider, City could also be forced into at least two changes against United, while Kyle Walker's return from suspension in the FA Cup this week will also see another decision to be made in defence.

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However, when City's FA Cup win at Peterborough is taken into account, Guardiola's selections may have already hinted at six players who will be confident of starting against United.

In goal, with Zack Steffen still out, Ederson is almost guaranteed to face United in his position as the club's number one. Only Steffen's injury saw him play in the cup, where he would usually get a rest, but the clean sheet at Peterborough will give him momentum to take into the derby.

Dias would normally be a favourite to start but may be doubtful, so the only defender who would be backed to feature is Joao Cancelo. After a superb performance in the Old Trafford win, Cancelo has been an ever-present this season and is ahead of Walker on the right and Aleks Zinchenko on the left. Whatever combination of full-backs Guardiola picks, Cancelo will surely be involved.

The midfield trio is also fairly certain, although the further forward he gets, the more Guardiola may be tempted to tinker to find space against United.

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