There are three spaces up for grabs in Pep Guardiola's Man City starting XI vs Manchester United

It's the big one. The first Manchester derby of the season. A match will be a yardstick of where both clubs currently stand.

Manchester City are still far from their scintillating best but have managed to recover from the shock of losing three domestic games in a row to win twice after the international break. There have been flashes of brilliance against both Brighton and Young Boys, but the matches were made harder than they would normally be. After losing their first big test of the season to Arsenal, coming up against their neighbours will give City a chance to make a statement in a big game.

Across the city, the Blues' concerns look as trivial a worry as being forced to sell your Porsche to afford a £20k deposit for a flat. Manchester United have been in utter turmoil on and off the pitch all season. A protracted and draining takeover process, players being unavailable for non-footballing reasons, an injury crisis of epic proportions and underperforming stars have left to a dreadful start for Erik ten Hag.

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United have managed to cobble three wins on the spin together but all of them required emotional late drama to scrape past teams they should comfortably be beating. For United, the match could either continue to build the budding momentum or see it come crashing down to earth if they are humbled.

It may still be very early in the campaign but there is a lot at stake for both clubs besides just local pride. It's a massive encounter, one which Pep Guardiola will need his best side for.

Thankfully, the boss will already be well