The last time Pep Guardiola took his Manchester City side to Old Trafford in March, he didn’t have a single top-class centre-back to choose from.
With the latest derby just two days away, the Catalan now has three talented defenders performing the top of their games, pushing for a start in a match in which all the focus will be on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his need to get a result after Manchester United's disastrous Champions League exit at the hands of RB Leipzig.
Across the city, it's far more relaxed. City breezed into the last 16 as they made it 475 minutes, and more than five matches, since Guardiola's side last conceded a goal.
Wednesday night’s 3-0 victory over Marseille was their fifth successive clean sheet in Europe, as they qualified from the group stage with a best-ever total of 16 points.
It's a healthy turnaround from last season, when their inability to shut out opponents effectively cost them a shot at Champions League glory, as well as a third successive Premier League title
Guardiola could have rotated his entire first team against Marseille, with United on the horizon, but opted to give some players another opportunity to push for a place in the Old Trafford starting line-up.
Aymeric Laporte made his first start in five games against the Ligue 1 outfit after an unusual hiatus for the 26-year-old, who has been City’s most consistent defender since he joined from Athletic Club in January 2018.
The French defender has been left out of the side since the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham in November, which only shows the strength of the options now at Guardiola's disposal.
Ruben Dias has added some leadership and steel to the backline since arriving from Benfica during the summer, with City finally finding their long sought-after replacement for Vincent Kompany.
However, it is the re-emergence of John Stones that has given Guardiola a real selection headache for the clash with United.
The England international was facing an uncertain future at the Etihad Stadium when his form and consistency dipped last season and he lost his place in the national team after high-profile errors in the Nations League.
Against Marseille, however, he came on as a first-half substitute for Eric Garcia and immediately showed the confidence and quality that many previously thought would make him the perfect centre-back for a Guardiola team.
Shortly after his introduction, he strode out of defence with his old belief, shrugging off two challenges and playing a crisp pass through the lines that immediately turned defence into attack.
Minutes later, he was alert to put in an expertly timed challenge as Valere Germain looked to score from eight yards out, and when City finally edged ahead, Stones and Laporte comfortably kept the French side quiet.
With Nathan Ake also pushing for a start after coming back from injury, Stones believes the competition is driving improvement.
“The manager demands a lot from us and expects a lot from us,” he said after the 2-0 victory over Fulham at the weekend.
“When there’s a chance, we’ve got to take it. It’s a healthy competition but we know if we don’t deliver, then we know someone else is fighting for that spot.
"That’s served us well over recent years. Everyone has high standards and keeps them there, and that’s what the manager wants.”
It’s not always been the case.
Back in spring, on City’s last visit to Old Trafford in the final game before lockdown, Guardiola had an entirely different selection headache.
Laporte and Stones were injured, with the latter also badly out of form, and Guardiola was forced to start with the centre-back pairing of a regressing Nicolas Otamendi and converted midfielder Fernandinho.
They tried to hold a United side that had also won twice at the Etihad Stadium in the previous three months but came up short, losing 2-0.
United’s threat on the counterattack remains, thanks to the pace of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial, who will again look to exploit the space City invariably leave in behind because of their propensity for playing the game their opponents' half.
However, Guardiola now has the options and defensive solidity he needs to make a winning return to Old Trafford, which would not only ramp up the pressure on Solskjaer but also propel a resurgent City further up the Premier League table.
