Striker Erling Haaland comes into the game on the back of scoring an incredible five goals during Norway’s 11-1 hammering of Moldova during the recent World Cup qualifiers.
The 25-year-old’s goal in the defeat at Brighton before the break also took his tally to 88 in just 100 Premier League games – the most by a player to reach that milestone.
Earlier on Friday, Liverpool boss Arne Slot described Alexander Isak as “maybe the best striker in the world” following the Sweden international’s move to Anfield for a British record £125m fee.
But Guardiola responded: “Erling is a little bit above.
“Isak is an exceptional player. You ask what Erling is as a striker – he’s the top. But Isak must be a top player for what they paid, obviously.
“Another person would say [Kylian] Mbappe, another person would say [Lionel] Messi, another person would say Cristiano [Ronaldo]. That’s fine. It is a game of opinions and everyone has the right to an opinion.
“What I’m saying is that I would not change Erling for anyone. I know him. He is incredible as a player, adorable as a person and I like him.”
City go into the 197th derby on the back of consecutive league defeats and are 13th in the table, with United a point ahead in ninth.
It is the first time they have trailed their rivals heading into a Manchester derby since 2020.
Haaland told Viaplay: “We’ve lost two games in a row, it’s not good enough, it’s way too bad. We need to figure it out, get back to winning ways. We can’t afford to lose games, as there’s so many good teams.
“It’s perfect to turn things around against United. We need to all be on our best, get our asses going, get things going, because it’s not been good enough so far.”
Watch all your favorite Amazon Prime Video Sports broadcasts live and free. Get access to NFL, NBA, NASCAR, WNBA, and more – all included with your Prime membership!