Have your say and pick your Manchester City starting XI ahead of Sunday's derby at the Etihad.
How could Manchester City line up in Sunday's derby against Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium? With new manager Manuel Pellegrini in the dugout, who will he select? Ahead of the blockbuster game, which can be seen live on
Sky Sports 1HD and
3D from 3.30pm, we pick our City starting XI. Have we got it right? Have your say and pick your first team via the feedback form at the bottom of the page.
Manchester City
City faced criticism regarding their defending in pre-season and in the defeat at Cardiff City but they have otherwise kept four clean sheets in all competitions. They will also be strengthened by the return of Vincent Kompany after the captain made a faultless injury comeback in the UEFA Champions League win at Viktoria Plzen. Kompany will partner Matija Nastasic at centre-back.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart will undoubtedly start along with full-backs Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov, who appears to have forced his way in front of Gael Clichy.
In midfield, Yaya Toure's experience, responsibility and power mean he must be included as one of the two sitting midfielders in the deep positions. Summer signing Fernandinho would also be the better option after Jack Rodwell failed to impress against Stoke City.
Manchester City's attacking midfield trio will be a key part of where the game is won and lost against United and therefore their selections cannot be underestimated. Stevan Jovetic made his first appearance for City in the draw with Stoke and can keep his spot. Jesus Navas will start and this means the likes of James Milner and Samir Nasri, who did impress versus Plzen, will have to make do with a place on the bench. Star man David Silva will certainly be in the first team.
A difficult decision for Pellegrini will be in picking his lone striker. Edin Dzeko made a good beginning to the season and scored against Plzen despite also being quite wasteful. Alvaro Negredo has also settled in the Premier League without any major problems and is a physical handful. But Sergio Aguero's return to fitness along, excellent display and goal against Plzen and his previous experience of games against United means he gets the nod.
What do you make of the team we have picked? Will Pellegrini have similar ideas or are some of our selections way off the mark? Let us know your thoughts and pick your own City side for the derby by filling in the feedback form below.
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