Manchester City vs Manchester United: Rangnick confirms Cavani could return & reveals plan for stopping City

Ralf Rangnick has emphasised he knows what Manchester United should expect from Manchester City in Sunday’s derby.

The Red Devils face the Sky Blues at the Etihad on Sunday in the 187th Manchester derby and will be looking to get revenge for their loss in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford in November.

United have a good record at their rival’s ground, winning four of their last five visits to City in all competitions.

City’s development under Pep Guardiola

Rangnick has heaped praise on the Red Devils’ opposition on Sunday thanks to their development under Pep Guardiola.

“We know that we are playing one of, if not the best team in the world,” Rangnick said.

“They have developed well since Pep [Guardiola] arrived. The same happened at Bayern Munich and Barcelona. He is one of the best[managers in the world]. We know what they [City] are all about. It will be about a lot of tactical work, fighting with and without the ball.”

However, he remains confident his side can create enough chances and remain ‘compact’ in possession.

“We have created a lot of chances in the last 10 or 11 games. We scored four goals at Leeds and should have scored one, two or three goals against Watford. But I would have been more worried if we had not been creating chances. We are also compact when the other team is in possession of the ball.”

Potential for a Cavani return

United’s attacking options could be bolstered with the return of Edinson Cavani against City after the forward has missed their past few fixtures with a groin problem.

“He is back in training since yesterday, today was his second training session with the team,” Rangnick said on Cavani’s potential return on Sunday.

“He looks good to be involved on Sunday, but there are still some question marks over other players. It looks good for Edinson for Sunday.”

How to stop City

Despite the Red Devils’ fine form at the Etihad, it won’t be easy for Rangnick’s side with the Sky Blues sitting top of the table.

The German believes he knows what is needed to stop the Premier League champions on Sunday.

“In the end, it is about controlling the game, not letting them play without pressure, because this is what they want, overloading spaces,” he said.

“The goalkeeper almost plays as a centre-back and the full-back a No.6 midfielder.

“For us, it is about finding moments where we can take the ball away from them and make the best of those transitional moments. It is up to us on Sunday to show that we can do that.”