Who should Manchester United's front three be against Manchester City?

The Manchester Derby is on Sunday (December 15), and Manchester United come up against a beleaguered Manchester City team. It's the worst state both teams have been in in years, and they will be desperate to win at the Etihad and get back to winning ways in the league.

The Red Devils suffered defeats to Nottingham Forest (3-2) and Arsenal (2-0) last time out in the league. They bounced back in the Europa League midweek with a 2-1 comeback victory over Czechia outfit Viktoria Plzen.

Manchester City endured a nightmare in Turin on Wednesday and were beaten 2-0 by Juventus. Pep Guardiola's reigning champions have won just one game in their last 10 outings. Their defense is vulnerable and Ruben Amorim could heap more misery on Guardiola.

Who should start in attack for Manchester United vs Manchester City?

Rasmus Hojlund was at the double against Plzen after coming off the bench and took his second goal excellently. The Dane is impressing under Amorim, managing five goals in five games. He's almost certain to start at the Etihad and will relish facing a weakened City backline.

Amorim will need to decide who partners him in attack and might be tempted to move Bruno Fernandes into a number 10 role. The Red Devils captain was in midfield against Plzen but plays better further up the pitch. He could thrive on the counter-attack and exploit spaces to help Hojlund cause havoc around the penalty box.

Amad Diallo has been a shining star under Amorim and was superb against Plzen, playing with energy and attacking intent. The Ivorian could be an ideal option to play on the right side of the front three with Josko Gvardiol and Rico Lewis struggling for form.

Marcus Rashford has been in the headlines this week amid talk of United being willing to move him on. The English attacker did nothing to calm the noise in Czechia with a haphazard performance that almost led to a sending off. He could be dropped if Amorim decides to move Fernandes into the attack.

Alejandro Garnacho came off the bench and showed more urgency than Rashford and perhaps is better suited in a super sub role. The Argentine winger has been heavily scrutinized as of late but has been a bright spark this season.

Joshua Zirkzee is another Red getting pelters for a dissapointing start to his United career. He started up top against Plzen but struggled with his hold up play and has little to no chance of rivalling Hojlund for the central striker's role.

Red Devils Dispatch Verdict

The front three who should start against City are Hojlund, Fernandes and Amad as the trio were the three standout perfomers in attack against Plzen. They all have different profiles which could be a real nuisance for Guardiola to try and handle at the Etihad.

Rashford's display against Plzen was worrying as he looked indecisive and let speculation over his future get to him. He does perform well against City, though, so this should be kept in mind. Garnacho is better coming off the bench, and Zirkzee needs time to adapt.