Kompany ready for Rooney battle

Vincent Kompany is relishing the prospect of facing an in-form Wayne Rooney in the Manchester derby on Sunday.

The Belgium international returned from a hamstring injury in Manchester City’s 3-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday and is ready to face Rooney, who scored twice in United’s 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen to pass the 200-goal barrier for the club.

Like Kompany, Rooney was troubled by injury during the close-season, but both players are back to full fitness and the defender is looking forward to another battle with the striker.

“No, it’s brilliant. You want to play against top players at their best,” he said. “That’s how I feel about it. I always want to play against players when they are at their best

“I’m really happy for Wayne that he’s on top form. This is the great thing about the Premier League, you play against top strikers all the time, but there are many players to watch out for in both teams.”

Both United and City have changed managers since they last met in the Premier League in April.

City captain Kompany added: “It’s a different team, it’s a different season and I would say there has never been anything too predictable in the derby

“It’s always a game you look forward to. I don’t think it’s just the people in Manchester but all over the world who look forward to enjoying it.

“It’s a game that attracts a lot of attention. I never take it for granted and I feel blessed that I am able to participate in those games. You do your best to make sure you play well in these games.”

Rooney has scored 10 goals in 23 appearances against City, netting twice the last times the sides met at the Etihad Stadium.