Gianluigi Donnarumma will make his Premier League debut for Manchester City in this afternoon’s 197th Manchester derby against rivals Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium.
The Italian goalkeeper joined the Citizens on transfer deadline day from Paris Saint-Germain and he will become the eighth City player to make his PL bow in a Manchester derby, as well as the third goalkeeper after Andreas Isaksson in 2006 and Claudio Bravo in 2016.
Donnarumma replaces James Trafford and is one of five changes made to Pep Guardiola’s starting lineup following the 2-1 defeat at Brighton before the international break, along with Josko Gvardiol, Nico O’Reilly, Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku.
Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri are all sidelined through injury and in the latter’s absence, O’Reilly is set to start at left-back, joining Gvardiol, Ruben Dias and Abdukodir Khusanov in a four-man defence.
Captain Bernardo Silva will link arms in centre-midfield with Rodri and new signing Tijjani Reijnders, while Foden is fit to start his first game of the season after a frustrating spell on the sidelines with niggling injury issues.
The Stockport attacker is expected to begin operating on the right side of a front three, with Doku set to play on the left as Erling Haaland - fresh from scoring five goals for Norway on international duty - leads the line.
Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko on August 17, 2025
Sesko, Mazraoui, Ugarte, Dorgu all start for Man Utd
As for Man United, Ruben Amorim has made a total of four changes from the side that left it late to beat Burnley 3-2 at Old Trafford prior to the international break.
The headline inclusion is summer signing Benjamin Sesko who is handed his full Premier League debut up front, joining fellow new recruit Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo in attack.
Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte are also handed their first league starts of the season; the former will start at right wing-back as the latter links up with captain Bruno Fernandes in midfield.
Patrick Dorgu also returns to the first XI and will begin on the left flank, while Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Luke Shaw all retain their places at centre-back.
Amorim has stuck to his word by starting Alay Bayindir in goal, meaning deadline day signing Senne Lammers will begin as a substitute along with the likes of Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Maguire and Joshua Zirkzee.
Four Man United players who will not be involved this afternoon are Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount, Diogo Dalot and Lisandro Martinez as they all continue to recover from injury.
Manchester City starting lineup: Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Bernardo, Rodri, Reijnders; Foden Haaland, Doku
Subs: Trafford, Ake, Nico, Savinho, Nunes, Bobb, Mukasa, Lewis, Mfuni
Manchester United starting lineup: Bayindir; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dorgu; Amad, Mbeumo; Sesko
Subs: Heaton, Lammens, Fredricson, Heaven, Leon, Maguire, Casemiro, Mainoo, Zirkzee
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