Dugout Discussion

De Bruyne out of Manchester derby as Aguero starts City’s Double Gameweek 29 opener

The first of two fixtures for Manchester City in Double Gameweek 29 takes place this afternoon at Old Trafford.

Kevin De Bruyne (£10.7m) will not be involved in the fourth Manchester derby of the season, however, as he has failed to recover from a shoulder injury and is not even among the substitutes.

Pep Guardiola said of the Belgian ahead of kick-off:

He feels better but he doesn’t feel 100%. And we don’t take risks. We have three important games in the Premier League but of course, the position that we have, Madrid and Newcastle are the real important games for us.

Sergio Aguero (£11.9m) leads the line for City, while Raheem Sterling (£11.7m) and Phil Foden (£5.1m) are also among the starters.

Riyad Mahrez (£8.4m) has to be content with a place on the bench, as do the likes of Benjamin Mendy (£5.5m), Kyle Walker (£5.7m), David Silva (£7.3m) and Gabriel Jesus (£9.5m).

Pep Guardiola has made five alterations overall from the side that beat Leicester City in Gameweek 27, although the Citizens have contested three cup matches since then.

Mendy, Walker, the injured Aymeric Laporte (£6.3m), De Bruyne and Mahrez are the men to make way from the win at the King Power Stadium, with Joao Cancelo (£5.2m), Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.2m), Nicolas Otamendi (£5.0m), Foden and Sterling all recalled.

Harry Maguire (£5.3m), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.3m) and Daniel James (£5.8m) have all recovered from injury to start for the hosts this afternoon, meanwhile.

James and Brandon Williams (£4.1m) in for Mason Greenwood (£4.3m) and Scott McTominay (£4.9m) are the two changes that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made from Gameweek 28.

The Red Devils look to have switched to a wing-back system, as they have done in several of the “tougher” matches this season.

The three previous meetings between these sides in 2019/20 have all been won by the away team.

Aguero, who averaged 12 points per Double Gameweek last season (City had three of them), was the second-most-popular option for the Triple Captain chip in Gameweek 29, with De Bruyne just behind him.


Manchester United XI: de Gea, Lindelöf, Maguire, Shaw, Wan-Bissaka, Matic, Fred, Williams, Fernandes, James, Martial.

Manchester City XI: Ederson, Cancelo, Otamendi, Fernandinho, Zinchenko, Rodrigo, Gundogan, Foden, Bernardo, Sterling, Aguero.

1,641 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Stoic
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Did Mourinho's Chelsea Phase 1 had the same tactics ?

  2. FOO FIGHTER
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Pep even playing ball boy now.

  3. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Has Mendy ever done a cross which wasn't low and hard towards the near post?

    1. Coldplay
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Yes just did one that went out for a throw in

  4. have you seen cyan
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    how on earth did City win the league without KDB?

    1. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Ole wasn't in charge of United back then

  5. It’s gonna Ben Mee
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Tactical master class from OGS

    1. Fudgy
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Helped by a free kick that wasn't a free kick and a goal that was offside

  6. Fudgy
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Unpopular opinion but half the city squad are rubbish

    1. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      LOL. Pep spent £600m+ on this lot.

    2. Forza Papac
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Popular opinion you talk some amount of sh1te

  7. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Ighalo time

    1. Cantona's Kung Fu Kick
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Iggy the new ole

  8. Piggs Boson
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Maguire's been solid.

    1. Eat my goal!
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      He has

    2. Old Man
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Another one who has been slagged off recently.

    3. UpTheCherries
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      So glad we've got him for england... all the other options aren't too appealing

  9. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    This United is strong. I was hoping they to loose pts today and Chelsea to increase the gap

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Maybe Leicester to loose the battle for top 4 ?

      1. Old Man
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 21 days ago

        I hope not - tomorrow we'll see if we have the resolve for the run-in.

  10. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Ighalo on
    Fernandes off

  11. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    James stays on???

    1. Fudgy
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Insane decision

      1. Cantona's Kung Fu Kick
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 21 days ago

        if City score it will be TOTALLY on Ole and this substitution

  12. Fudgy
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    WHY SUB OFF BRUNO

    1. RealVirg
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Cos I am buying after BG, need to be tip top condition.

  13. _Ninja_
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Bruno off

  14. Champions League Varane
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Ole every bit of credit to you

  15. Fred54
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Ighalo ON
    Bruno OFF

  16. Lucky Z
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Martial should get 3 bonus points with winning goal addition?

    1. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Nope. Utd CS worth a lot more in the BPS. Martial offsides and giving the ball away costing him.

  17. Fudgy
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Disgraceful game as a Bruno owner , I got robbed like 3 goals

    1. JBG
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Yeah... Martial and especially James should have just rolled him the ball on the edge of the box. Tunnel vision.

  18. Eat my goal!
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Ighalo to gift pool the league

  19. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Massive Bruno fail.

    Raging!!!

    1. Fudgy
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Same what a joke man ffs

    2. Eat my goal!
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Like a quiet Kdb performance

  20. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    What a great additions for United I the winter

    1. Bobby Digital
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      I just now realized that you and Denial aren't the same guy.

    2. Piggs Boson
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Top notch.

      Maguire, AWB, James, Fernandes.

  21. Totti
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    will bruno get a bps even 1 point?

    1. _Ninja_
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Not with a utd cleanie

  22. Bobby Digital
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    C'mon Martial get some baps

  23. Champions League Varane
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Another masterclass Bruno well done

  24. Fred54
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Pep doing the hokey cokey.

    Love to see it.

  25. TorresMagic™
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    3 - Wan-Bissaka, Lindelöf, de Gea (25)
    1 - Maguire, Martial, Williams (23)

    1. Fudgy
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      Feel absolutely cheated , Bruno deserved all 3

    2. Sun Jihai
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      DDG up to 27 now

  26. Pompel
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Webster and Williams 2nd and 3rd on bench, after Cantwell 😐

  27. Piggs Boson
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    James needs to stay on - his pace stops the City pushing up too high. Keeping James on helps protect the lead.

    1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 21 days ago

      That's what I thought but he's not playing that role well

      1. Piggs Boson
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 21 days ago

        Missing quality in the final third, but does a job.

  28. Fred54
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Not even De Gea wants to mess this up.

  29. Hybrid.power
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Can't wait for this season to be over.

  30. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 21 days ago

    Sterling stat padding his attacking threat