Even though Manchester City current performance is still inconsistent, I think they will be more favored when they face Manchester United in the derby match after the international break. Ruben Amorim squad sometimes plays quite well when facing other big teams, but for now, Manchester City is still more reliable.
Meanwhile, if Manchester City fails to create consistency in the Premier League this season, it is clear that they will have a harder time competing in the Champions League. It seems Pep Guardiola is facing the most difficult period in his career, the squad overhaul that has been done has not shown any improvement at all.
Favouring City over United in the weekend derby can't be guaranteed for me, it's going to be a tough game for both sides and I don't think United will be going into that derby looking weak for City. After watching United 3 games in the EPL this season it's obvious there has being so much improvement than what they were last season. The only difficulty they haven't yet solved is ability to be scoring goals that much when chances are created unlike City that has a top 9 like Erling Haaland that hardly miss goal chances.