Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta has warned his teammates that they will have to be "perfect" to stop the threat of Angel di Maria in the Manchester derby.

Manuel Pellegrini's side face Manchester United on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium, and Zabaleta has admitted that he knows the difficulty of the task that awaits him against his Argentina teammate.

Zabaleta told The Mirror: "He's a really good player. He's fast, quick, has a great technique, he's one of those players defenders find really difficult to play against.

"You need the perfect day to stop players like him. He plays on the left, so will I try to play as good as I can.

"We've known each other for many years. I was so happy when he signed for United because it was something good for him. He was really excited to come here and play in the Premier League."

City are third in the Premier League ahead of their clash with Louis van Gaal's side.