The 188th Manchester derby is right upon us but it is safe to say Manchester United have made a number of significant changes since their last meeting with Manchester City.
A United side managed by Ralf Rangnick were battered by Pep Guardiola's ruthless Blues at the Etihad Stadium back in March, with Kevin de Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez grabbing a brace each. Jadon Sancho scored the Red Devils' only goal against his former club but City were far too good on the day and ran out comfortable 4-1 winners.
Since then, Erik ten Hag has replaced Ralf Rangnick as the club's manager, with the Dutchman winning four of his Premier League matches in charge so far. After a disastrous start to the season, United have picked up maximum points from their last 12 available, beating Liverpool and Arsenal in the process.
Ten Hag has also made a number of impressive additions in the transfer window, while a couple of other high-profile players left the club in a summer of changes at Old Trafford. Casemiro, Antony, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia were amongst the new arrivals as Ten Hag attempted to re-fresh his squad.
They currently sit just outside of the Champions League places heading into what will be a hectic period before the World Cup begins on November 20. Although United have picked up some excellent results in recent weeks, it doesn't get much harder in the Premier League than a trip across the city to the Etihad.
Only four players who started United's last game against City are expected to be in the XI this time around, with six big names axed; namely Paul Pogba, Alex Telles, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Fred. Among the six, Pogba and Telles are no longer at the club this season.
Pogba endured a difficult six years at the Red Devils following his record-breaking move from Juventus, and rarely escaped away from criticism. He was part of the United side that were thrashed by City last season, starting in a midfield three alongside Fred and Scott McTominay.
Despite grabbing an assist for Sancho's strike, Pogba was slammed by pundits and supporters for his performance which encapsulated his time at United. He could provide a moment of quality at any point of time, but would be let down by his consistency and ability to perform for the entire game. This was a similar theme during the defeat at City with Pogba struggling out of possession against the rampant champions.
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Fred is another player who has since lost his place in the United XI, with Ten Hag opting with Eriksen and McTominay as the midfield pivot and Bruno Fernandes just in front. The Brazilian started their opening Europa League against Real Sociedad but was dropped for the trip to Sherriff as Ten Hag reverted to his strongest side.
Meanwhile, Maguire, Lindelof, Telles and Wan-Bissaka all started the game at City earlier in the year but are no longer regular starters in the Premier League, while Telles has been shipped out on loan. Ten Hag has preferred the likes of Antony, Martinez, Raphael Varane, Malacia and Diogo Dalot in those positions - all of which have helped steer United clear of trouble.
The future of Maguire is the main talking point out of the four, with the centre-back making another couple of glaring errors - this time for England in their 3-3 draw with Germany. He hasn't started a Premier League game since the Red Devils' 4-0 defeat at Brentford but was named in the XI for both of England's Nations League matches last week. He, however, struggled in the two games and many have tipped Maguire to leave the club.
David de Gea, McTominay, Sancho and Fernandes are the only four players who are expected to keep their place in the side from that loss at the Etihad in March. Cristiano Ronaldo is set to take his place on the bench for the fifth successive Premier League match, although that could all change if Marcus Rashford is ruled out.
