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Manchester City welcome city rivals Manchester United to the Etihad on Sunday in the Premier League for the 185th edition of the Manchester derby.
The two sides played out a goalless stalemate in their first meeting in December. Following that game, Manchester United led Manchester City by seven points in the league table.
Three months later, the tables have turned so much that Pep Guardiola's side, currently on a record 21-game winning streak, lead Manchester United by a massive 14 points at the top of the standings.
With just 11 games left in the season, Manchester City are the firm favourites to lift the title, with Manchester United still fighting to finish inside the Champions League places.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side lead Leicester City by a solitary point, whereas fourth-placed Chelsea aren't too behind. So Sunday's game is vital in terms of their top-four hopes.
Manchester United have won at the Etihad on each of their last two league visits. But they will have their task cut out to make it three in a row against the most in-form side in Europe. With another win, Manchester City could open a whopping 17-point lead atop the Premier League summit.
Ahead of the mouth-watering match, let's see how the two Manchester rivals would stack up in a hypothetical combined XI:
Goalkeeper - Ederson Moraes (Manchester City)
Even if David De Gea was available for Sunday's clash, Manchester City custodian Ederson Moraes would have got the nod, as he has been at his best this campaign.
With 15 clean sheets to his name, the Brazilian is unsurprisingly leading the race for the 2020-21 Premier League Golden Gloves; in comparison, Manchester United's De Gea has nine and Dean Henderson one.
What's more, Ederson also has an assist to his name!
Right-back: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
This was a three-way tussle between Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo for this spot. But the Portuguese gets the nod, as he is currently enjoying the best form of his career.
After struggled in his first season at Manchester City after arriving from Juventus, Cancelo has found his feet this season, streaking ahead of Walker in Guardiola's pecking order.
Centre-back: John Stones (Manchester City)
His career threatened to go off the rails in the last two years so much that John Stones didn't appear to have a future at Manchester City. But Aymeric Laporte's injury gave Stones a chance to impress, and the player has grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
It's no coincidence that Manchester City have managed to keep a clean sheet in 12 of the 16 games Stones has started this season. The player has scored thrice already.
Centre-back: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
What a signing Ruben Dias has turned out to be! Dias has wasted no time in asserting himself as an elite defender at Manchester City, laying the most passes (2046) by any player in the division while completing 93.4% of them.
A first-choice centre-back under Guardiola, the Portuguese star has forged a solid partnership with Stones and could seriously test the mettle of the Manchester United frontline.
Left-back: Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
Manchester United's only representative in this hypothetical back four, Luke Shaw has been at the club for seven years after joining from Southampton. But it is only now he is consistently delivering the goods.
The 25-year old has been excellent at both ends of the pitch, keeping the likes of Alex Telles and Brandon Williams on the bench. Shaw has tallied five top-flight assists to his credits this campaign too.
Defensive Midfielder - Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)
Ilkay Gundogan has been a revelation for Manchester City this season, producing a never-before-seen scoring penchant.
With 11 goals so far this campaign, he is the leading scorer for Manchester City in the league, stepping up his game to help his side go top of the standings.
Right Midfielder - Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Injuries have forced Kevin De Bruyne to miss a few games this season, but that hasn't stopped him from registering three goals and 11 assists in the 2020-21 Premier League from 21 games.
When on song, the Belgian wizard is impossible to play against and remains a model of consistency for Manchester City.
Attacking Midfielder - Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Few players have had as much impact in a side in such a short time as Bruno Fernandes has at Manchester United since joining from Sporting CP last January.
The 26-year old ace has scored 34 times for the Red Devils in the last 13 months, including 15 in the league so far this season, the most behind only Mohamed Salah.
However, Fernandes' record against the 'big six' leaves a lot to be desired. But without Fernandes leading their charge, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side would have struggled to be in the top-four places in the first place.
Left Midfielder - Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Long billed as England's next big thing, Phil Foden has been living up to his hype for quite some time now, and his stats this season further accentuate that claim.
With 11 goals and six assists this season, the youngster is having his best campaign for Manchester City. Foden has scored six times in the top flight - one more than what he managed in the entirety of last season.
Striker: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
With Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus both struggling with injuries, Raheem Sterling has taken up the scoring mantle for Manchester City, scoring nine times and making five assists thus far.
A left-winger by trade, the former Liverpool man has the versatility to operate from any position in the attack and has delivered in the big games for Manchester City once again this season.
Yet, he has somehow never scored against Manchester United in 19 games, an anomaly he would like to correct on Sunday.
Striker: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Posting slightly better attacking statistics than Sterling, his England teammate Marcus Rashford has scored the same number of goals as him this campaign but has made one assist more.
However, the Manchester United striker has struggled for consistency. Most of his numbers have been registered in the first half of the league campaign. Marcus Rashford needs to find his ruthless streak to become a top striker in the Premier League again.
