Manchester United vs Manchester City: Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and John Stones – seven who must perform in derby
SunSport reveals the players fighting to make or break this season in tonight's crunch EFL Cup clash at Old Trafford
WE’RE already a quarter of the way through the season.
And it’s time for some stars to step up to the plate after indifferent starts to the campaign.
Manchester United host Manchester City for the second time following Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola’s respective appointments.
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And the Red Devils will be out for revenge in the EFL Cup clash this evening after suffering a 2-1 Premier League defeat last month.
But there are players on either side who are yet to show their best form, so here are seven stars who must pull up their socks tonight – courtesy of SunSport.
Paul Pogba
THE Frenchman ended up in the back pocket of N’Golo Kante during United’s heavy 4-0 defeat to Chelsea last weekend.
Fans are starting to vent their frustrations towards the world-record signing, and he must produce a performance tonight to help his team get back on track.
John Stones
CITY’S £47.5million defender has shown occasional glimpses of brilliance so far but he has also made a number of costly mistakes at the back.
Stones might be young, but City need him to be buzzing with charisma and confidence after shelling out for him over the summer.
Anthony Martial
REGARDED as one of 2015’s best buys despite the huge fee, Martial is yet to prove himself to Mourinho this season.
Marcus Rashford has displaced him on the left wing, and a goal this evening could set him on his way to recapturing his form of old.
Leroy Sane
ANOTHER big-money signing, Sane is yet to prove why Guardiola picked him over Samir Nasri for the new campaign.
Like Stones, Sane has age on his side, but City fans will be expecting a performance at the Theatre of Dreams tonight.
Daley Blind
IT’S fair to say Blind had a total shocker against Chelsea on Sunday.
The Dutchman started the season well but has quickly dropped off the pace, but he has no choice but to deliver the goods following Eric Bailly’s injury woe.
Nolito
THE Spaniard has helped himself to a decent amount of goals, but he’s only really performed when coming off the bench.
Nolito has already served a three-match suspension after picking up a red card and is sure to be keen to prove a point this evening.
Juan Mata
MATA appeared to have worked his way back into Mourinho’s plans before being dropped for the defeat to City in September.
The midfielder has since endured a frustrating time on the bench and will be determined to orchestrate play as a No.10 at Old Trafford.