Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has made it clear that captain Vincent Kompany is no longer considered an automatic starter in his side.
The Belgian missed several games through injury, but he was then left on the bench in matches against AFC Bournemouth and Sevilla despite being fully fit.
And Manuel Pellegrini has now challenged Kompany to try and dislodge one of Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala from the starting XI.
“They are both playing very well. On Thursday we will start thinking about the derby. We have a lot of different things to think about for the next game,” Pellegrini said.
“Vincent is coming back from a long injury – he has been out for one month. There was a risk to give him the responsibility to play this important game. I try to pick the team every week that at this moment are ready or better to play.”
Manchester City face bitter rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, and they are priced at 2.88 (17/9) to claim maximum points.
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