Breaking news: Manchester United line up to face Manchester city , here are the players starting and those not , this is the starting 11 leaked by sources .

 Manchester United and Manchester 

City will face off in the season's second 

Manchester derby at the Etihad on Sunday

, March 6.

After their recent struggles, the Red Devils

 need to win to remain in contention for 

a place in next season's UEFA Champions

 League. The Cityzens, on the other hand

, have Liverpool breathing down their necks

 as they look to secure consecutive

 Premier League titles once more.

Manchester United currently occupy 

fourth place in the league standings, with

 47 points from 27 games. Fifth-placed 

West Ham United are only two points behind

 them. Sixth-placed Arsenal are also only 

two points behind the Red Devils but 

with three games in hand.

Meanwhile, Manchester City have seen 

their lead at the top of the standings cut 

down to just six points. Second-placed 

Liverpool have a game in hand over 

them and could bring down the lead to 

just three points.

Manchester City defeated 

Manchester United at Old 

Trafford earlier this season

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City claimed 

a dominant 0-2 victory over Manchester 

United in November last year and will 

look to pick up another win against 

them this weekend.

The Red Devils have changed managers

 since that game, with Ralf Rangnick now

 in charge of the side. A number of players

 have emerged as key players under the 

German tactician, creating uncertainty 

surrounding the match's outcome.

Without further ado, here is how Manchester

 United could line up against Manchester

 City on Sunday.

Goalkeeper: David de Gea

David De Gea has re-established himself

 as one of the best goalkeepers in the 

Premier League with his recent performances

. The Spaniard has completely dispelled 

the possibility of being usurped by Dean

 Henderson as the club's first-choice goalkeeper.

De Gea was named the Premier League's

 Player of the Month in January as a testament

 to his excellent performance for the Red 

Devils. He will play a key role if his 

side are to thwart Manchester City.

Right-Back: Aaron Wan-Bissaka

After seemingly losing his shirt to Diogo 

Dalot in the early days of Rangnick's reign,

 Aaron Wan-Bissaka has delivered a number

 of sterling performances for the side recently

. The Englishman has played his way 

into contention and may have benched 

Dalot once more.

To deal with Manchester City's tricky 

wingers and their play in the attacking third, a 

player with Wan-Bissaka's defensive proficiency

 will be crucial for Rangnick's side.

Center-back: Harry Maguire

Under-fire captain Harry Maguire is expected

 to retain his starting shirt in the Manchester 

derby on Sunday. The Englishman helped 

the Red Devils keep a clean sheet in their 

last Premier League match against Watford.

Maguire's leadership will be needed when 

United face their city rivals. The 28-year-

old defender has struggled in recent weeks

 but remains one of the first names on 

Rangnick's team sheet.

Center-back: Raphael Varane

Raphael Varane has not started life at 

Manchester United as well as he would 

have hoped. The French defender has 

missed a number of games through injury 

and has been a big part of his side's struggles

 this season.

On his day, Varane is one of the world's 

best defenders. The World Cup and UEFA 

Champions League winner will hope to 

inspire the Red Devils to a derby victory

 on Sunday.

Left-back: Luke Shaw

Like the rest of this Manchester United 

team, Luke Shaw seems to have run out 

of gas after a brilliant start to the season.

 He was also close to losing his place to 

Alex Telles earlier in Rangnick's tenure. 

However, Telles has not done enough to 

win the shirt.

Shaw's pace and energy will be important 

in keeping Kyle Walker quiet on his adventurous

 forays forward. Like the others, Shaw 

must be on his toes and at his best at all

 times on Sunday.

Central midfield: Paul Pogba

Since his return from a lengthy spell on 

the sidelines, Paul Pogba has looked like 

one of the brightest players for Manchester

 United. However, the French midfielder

 is still looking for his best form for the 

Red Devils.

Pogba's rare combination of technical 

skill, tackling, and passing makes him a 

high-quality player. These attributes will 

be vital if he is to help his side win the 

midfield battle against Manchester City.

Central midfield: Fred

Underrated is the right word to use in 

describing Fred this season. The Brazilian 

seems like a completely different player 

from the error-prone one that played under

 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Fred's tenacity and incredible work rate 

will help him when his side go up against 

Manchester City. He will play a key role 

for the Red Devils in midfield, breaking 

up their opponents' passes and preventing 

them from building any rhythm in the game.

Right winger: Jadon Sancho

Jadon Sancho struggled for form and 

consistency after moving to Old Trafford 

for £73 million in the summer. The Englishman

 has ties to Manchester City, as it was from

 their academy that he moved to Borussia

 Dortmund.

Sancho looks like he has overcome the 

confidence and form issues that were 

present at the start of the season. The young

 winger has contributed four goals and 

two assists in 30 appearances for the Red

 Devils across all competitions. He will 

be hoping to continue in the same vein 

against his former employers.

Attacking midfield: Bruno 

Fernandes

While he has not been at his best this season

, Bruno Fernandes is still performing 

quite well. Along with Liverpool's Trent

 Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, 

the Portuguese midfielder has created the 

most big chances in the Premier League (

14). However, his teammates have let him 

down with their profligacy.

Fernandes has been an important player

 for Manchester United since his arrival

. He will look to help the Red Devils bounce

 back to winning ways after back-to-back draws.

The 27-year-old will have a key role 

to play on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium.

Left winger: Anthony Elanga

Academy graduate and Sweden U-21 

forward Anthony Elanga has established

 himself as a first-team regular under Rangnick.

The 19-year-old is in a rich vein of form 

for the Red Devils. He scored their equalizer

 against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of 

their UEFA Champions League Round 

of 16 fixture.

Elanga has done very well at Old Trafford

 so far, scoring four goals in 17 appearances

 across all competitions for his boyhood 

club's senior team. His form and confidence

 may be key to unlocking a stubborn 

Manchester City defense in the derby.

Striker: Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United are relying on goal 

machine Cristiano Ronaldo to help them 

defeat other teams this season.

The veteran Portuguese forward has not

 disappointed, with 15 goals and three 

assists in 30 appearances for the side across

 all competitions.

Ronaldo has suffered a slight dip in 

form since the turn of the year, but he still

 carries that X-factor in games.

The 37-year-old will start for Manchester

 United against their city rivals on Sunday.