Man City must play ace who “plays like a superstar”

Manchester City are back in action once again in the Premier League this evening as they prepare to travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.

The Cityzens come into this match off the back of a 2-0 win over Leicester City at The Etihad last time out in the top-flight, thanks to goals from Jack Grealish and Omar Marmoush.

Pep Guardiola will still be without star striker Erling Haaland, due to an ankle injury, but the Spanish head coach knows that he can now rely on Marmoush to step up in that position.

Why Omar Marmoush has been a worthwhile signing for Man City

The Egypt international joined the club from Eintracht Frankfurt in the January transfer window and has hit the ground running in Manchester as a versatile forward, who can play out wide or through the middle as a striker.

He started as the centre-forward against Leicester and showed off his goalscoring instincts and technique to pounce on a mistake by Mads Hermansen and fire the ball in off the crossbar.

The 26-year-old sensation has now scored five goals and created three ‘big chances’ for his teammates in seven starts in the Premier League this year, which shows that he has provided an instant threat in the final third as both a scorer and a creator.

These statistics illustrate why he has been a worthwhile signing for City already, because he has made an impact right away and offered quality in front of goal in the absence of Haaland.

Guardiola must, now, unleash Kevin de Bruyne from the start – for his last Manchester derby before he leaves in the summer – to partner Marmoush in attack this evening.

Why Kevin de Bruyne should start against Man Utd

There is, of course, the sentimental angle in the sense that this will be his last chance to play in the derby before his contract expires at the end of the season, so it could be a good moment to bring him back into the XI to have one last dance with the Red Devils.

The Belgian whiz, who has scored three goals and provided six assists against Man Utd in his career, was an unused substitute in the win over Leicester, which could allow him to come into this game fresh and raring to go.

De Bruyne, as you can see in the clips above, has been a sensational creative force for the Cityzens over the years, with his ability to pick out sublime passes and crosses to assist his teammates.

The Belgium international, who Frank Lampard claimed “plays like a superstar”, has consistently created ‘big chances’ for his fellow attackers to find the back of the net throughout his Premier League career with the club.

As you can see in the table above, de Bruyne tends to create ‘big chances’ when he starts matches for City in the top-flight, which is why he should be unleashed this evening.

Jeremy Doku, who did not contribute to a goal or an assist last time out, could drop to the bench with Grealish moved out to the left, allowing the Belgian star to play centrally behind Marmoush.

This would, hopefully, allow the Man City legend to provide the Egyptian star with the ‘big chances’ he needs to add to his growing collection of Premier League goals since his move to The Etihad in January.