Man City vs Man United: Defiant Pellegrini won't change ahead of derby

Pellegrini

The Premier League champions have endured an indifferent start to the season and Pellegrini has come under increasing pressure after expressing concern over his side's form earlier this week.

A 2-1 loss at in-form West Ham United on Saturday left them third in the table on 17 points, six adrift from leaders Chelsea, before the defence of their League Cup title ended prematurely with a surprise 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United on Wednesday.

The beleaguered Chilean remained defiant, however, in the face of United's trip to the Etihad Stadium, insisting that his out-of-sorts team do not need to change much even if they will be without Silva, who will be missing for up to a month after injuring his knee.

"David is a very important player but I always say the same thing. We have a squad and we have to replace him with another player," Pellegrini told a news conference.

"I think that we can play faster than we are doing. But still, I remember the games against the Newcastle and West Ham, the best player was their goalkeeper.

"If I think back to a year ago, I was answering the same questions. When we didn’t win away for the first six games -- it was the same questions I just answered now.

"I will continue to play the same way."

Pellegrini got his first taste of a Manchester derby at the Etihad last season and an excellent performance from his side ended in a resounding 4-1 victory.

The City boss indicated that a similar performance in the fixture on Sunday could galvanise his team, as it did last year.

"The game we played here, the first one at the Etihad (last year) was in a moment where I was new here, where maybe there were a lot of doubts about the result but I never changed my mind in the way we have to play against any other team," he said.

"I remember the exact moment when I told the players to work in exactly the same way. That was an important moment and we really played very well.

"It was three points, like every other game. For supporters it’s a special game and we know that. We know what it means to win against Manchester United.

"It doesn’t depend on what we do in the games before the derby, it’s important for us to play well against Manchester United.

"We are a team and we need top players with top performances all the time."

Silva will be absent, but City expect to have midfield powerhouse Yaya Toure fit for Sunday.