Riyad Mahrez gets Man City wish as Pep Guardiola buckles in for Premier League title fight

After starting Manchester City's past two Premier League games on the bench, Riyad Mahrez has returned to Pep Guardiola's starting XI for the visit of Manchester United.

City have not been at their irresistible best in recent weeks, having struggled to break down some compact defences and create clear goal-scoring opportunities.

The Blues profited from defensive mistakes in the loss to Tottenham and the 1-0 win over Everton last weekend, but in the Manchester derby Guardiola will be hoping that his side can get the job done without needing a helping hand.

That is partly because of the occasion - there is never a good time to lose to your cross-town rivals - but largely because defeat to United could allow Liverpool to seize the advantage in the Premier League title race.

Jurgen Klopp's side beat West Ham 1-0 at Anfield on Saturday, reducing City's lead at the top of the table to three points. Defeat to day would allow Liverpool to go top of goal difference, should they win their game in hand.

Simply put, City must get the job done today. In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, United are likely to try and exploit City on the counter-attack, defending deep before breaking up field with the pace of Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga.

City have struggled to break down compact defences recently and, as Mahrez showed in the FA Cup win at Peterborough on Tuesday, the best solution is to have your most incisive and clinical attackers on the pitch.

The Algerian does not have a great record against United - he has scored just one goal in 15 matches against them - but there is no doubting that he is City's hottest attacker right now.

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