Louis van Gaal runs a tight ship at Manchester United, the sort of ship that doesn't do leaks.

I can't imagine Marouane Fellaini has been ok'ed to tell Aston Villa's Christian Benteke and the rest of Twitter that he is not in the Manchester United team today.

Image source, Twitter

Maybe it is a double bluff.

Football Focus BBC Sport

We want you to share your favourite football memories and moments of 2014 using #FootballFocus, external or by commenting on the Match of the Day Facebook page., external Whether it is the favourite match, best goal, worst miss, or a moment of madness, we want to hear your selections, and the best will be featured on Football Focus next Saturday.

Focus is just starting now.

Third play seventh in the day's opening Championship encounter.

Derby, who suffered League Cup defeat to Chelsea in midweek, could do with three points to throw on the furnace. Steve McClaren's side's last win was at home to Brighton on 6 December.

Norwich, by contrast, have won their last two, putting away Huddersfield 5-0 last time out.

They are almost ready for the go at the iPro.

It has also been pointed out that Germany didn't play with a 'proper' striker for much of the World Cup in the summer - and that went well. Strikers are on the way out it seems...

Jen: Manchester City playing a 4-6-0 formation piloted by Spain at Euro 2012. It seemed to work for them at that tournament mind you. 3-0 Man City

Andy: James Milner to be a hat-trick hero this afternoon for Manchester City, you heard it here first!

Get in touch using #bbcfootball, external on Twitter, text us on 81111 (UK only), or post a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook, external or Google+ page., external

Liz Tray: Spain seemed to do alright without strikers, so let's have a go. Crystal Palace won't know how to cope, as we're not sure ourselves!

Get in touch using #bbcfootball, external on Twitter, text us on 81111 (UK only), or post a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook, external or Google+ page., external

A late correction to the Crystal Palace team - Jason Puncheon starts instead of Wilfried Zaha.

Steve Bower
BBC Match of the Day commentator

"It will be a big ask for Crystal Palace to head back to south-east London with anything. To do so, Neil Warnock will know each one of his players will have to perform to their maximum.

"Palace will point to City's home defeat by Stoke in August as an example of what is possible, but Manuel Pellegrini's are chasing a sixth straight league win. Another three points would only reaffirm claims that the champions are indeed back."

We haven't had a Premier League managerial sacking yet, but why?

Tom Holmes:, external The reason we've not had a firing yet is that most of the teams down the bottom have established coaches loved at the club.

Football Focus BBC Sport

Tune in for this week's Football Focus on BBC One at 12:10 GMT and you will catch an interview with Manchester United defender Phil Jones, while Bolton manager Neil Lennon and former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson are joining Dan Walker in the studio.

Later you've got Final Score, live on the Red Button from 14:30 and from 16:25 on BBC One except for viewers in Scotland, who can watch Sportscene at the same time.

And later still, there's Match of the Day. That's on from 22:20 on BBC One.

Centre-half up front? Glory days. The tactic may still be alive and kicking in the lower leagues, but in the Premier League those days appear to be over.

Daniel Walford: When he played for Bayern Munich, defender Daniel Van Buyten was used as an 'emergency striker' (see 11:45). Was pretty good too.

Get in touch using #bbcfootball, external on Twitter, text us on 81111 (UK only), or post a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook, external or Google+ page., external

Image source, Reuters

With goal potentially in short supply for Manchester City, keeping hold of Frank Lampard may become even more important.

The 36-year-old is due back in New York next month but don't start spreading the news just yet - he's not leaving today. But City do face a problem - The MLS new boys are fighting tooth and nail to call him back.

"For Lampard to have any kind of delay in joining Major League Soccer from the beginning, the initiation of this club, would be a disastrous proposition," said Dave Martinez, a New York-based football writer for empireofsoccer.com.

"It's going to be an interesting tug of war and I think that will define how the City football group operates."

Read more on the Big Apple's take on Frank here.

So no striker for Manchester City, and nobody tasked with filling in either. As Graham Taylor once said to Nigel Clough, City will 'just play it as they see it.'

Could be inspired? Could be a mess...

Manchester City make six changes from the side that defeated Leicester City last week. With no senior strikers available, manager Manuel Pellegrini brings in James Milner, who looks most likely to play up in attack. Martin Demichelis replaces the injured Vincent Kompany in central defence.

Crystal Palace make one change with Fraizer Campbell replacing the injured Marouane Chamakh in attack.

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Navas, Yaya Toure, Silva, Nasri, Milner.

Palace: Speroni, Kelly, Dann, Hangeland, Ward, Bolasie, Jedinak, Ledley, McArthur, Puncheon, Campbell.

Throughout the morning we've been asking for your tales of improvised kit, prompted by Danny Baker on his Radio 5 live show. Here is a final collection from the MOTD Facebook page..., external

Michael Clemens: Was in goal and didn't have my top and the spare ones were already gone so ref let me play wearing a hessian sand bag

Bob Sleigh: After having forgotten the kit we improvised and played in reversed Tesco* bags. A poor persons QPR! We must have stunned the opposition as I think we won the match!

*Other supermarket carrier bags are available

Manuel Pellegrini says that "we must play another way without a striker." He says that he has people in the team who can score goals so he is not too concerned about not having a striker.

Sounds like 4-6-0 then...

Manchester City may possess one of the very best strikers in world football in Sergio Aguero, but he is out for at least a couple more weeks with a knee injury.

First-choice stand-in Edin Dzeko pulled his calf in the warm-up at Leicester last weekend, and Stevan Jovetic is also injured. Three out of three down.

Last week youngster Jose Angel Pozo got the nod up top but looked rather out of his depth. So today City manager Manuel Pellegrini rolls the dice and names a side containing no recognised forward. James Milner up there? Yaya Toure?

For all the money in the game, for all the World Cup stars flocking to our shores, there's still room in the Premier League for a good old-fashioned injury crisis.

Manchester United have had no defenders at times this season, and have relied on Ashley Young, Antonio Valencia and Michael Carrick to fill in at the back.

And today Manchester City have no strikers. Time for one of football's most gratifying sights: The Emergency Centre-Forward.

Who will step into the breach for City? James Milner? David Silva? Eliaqium Mangala (the wildcard option).

We are about to find out...