Man Utd vs. Man City: Confirmed Lineups for First Manchester Derby of 2026–27
There has been a surprising amount of regal rumbling in the buildup to the first Manchester derby of the 2026–27 season.
Elliot Anderson ruffled some feathers when he described Manchester City as the “kings of Manchester” upon his record arrival earlier this summer. It was a stance the English midfielder doubled down on ahead of Sunday’s clash between the two northern giants.
Manchester United have typically held that mantle as the most successful side in Premier League history. However, it’s been 13 years since the club’s last top-flight title—a yawning chasm which has seen City prevail on seven occasions.
New SI FC Newsletter Global Embed. Sign Up to Get Informed With SI FC. dark. FREE NEWSLETTER
Michael Carrick was part of that last United side to win the most precious piece of domestic silverware and accepted that times had changed. “We are humble enough and realistic enough to know where we have come from in recent history,” the Red Devils boss reluctantly accepted.
Establishing a dominant rule of the kingdom takes decades but any team can be crowned king for a day with victory in the derby.
Marcus Rashford Comes Full Circle Against Man City
In the first Manchester derby of the 2024–25 season, Rashford was shockingly omitted from the squad entirely by Ruben Amorim. It would prove to be the first in an ugly clash between beloved academy graduate and struggling manager which saw the boyhood United fan exiled for almost two years.
Rashford was forced to find some minutes on loan at Aston Villa—where he scored against Manchester City—before a fruitful season at Barcelona. Back at Old Trafford under the stewardship of his former teammate Carrick, the 28-year-old has been given the chance to take on City again.
The proud Mancunian who came from a family with factions on both sides of the red and blue divide has scored seven goals against City across 23 appearances. Only Leicester have conceded more frequently at the feet of Rashford.
However, the left winger’s chances of adding to his tally were not helped by the enforced absence of Luke Shaw, his regular partner down the left flank.
Confirmed Man Utd Lineup vs. Man City
Starting XI: Senne Lammens; Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez, Patrick Dorgu; Kobbie Mainoo, Youri Tielemans; Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Matheus Cunha.
Substitutes: Karl Darlow (GK), Ayden Heaven, Mason Mount, Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Andrey Santos, Noussair Mazraoui, Shea Lacey, Benjamin Šeško.
Enzo Maresca Names Maiden Derby XI
While this may be Enzo Maresca’s first experience of the Manchester derby from the hot seat, he was Pep Guardiola’s assistant for three of these fixtures during City’s treble-winning 2022–23 campaign. City were triumphant at Old Trafford that year, romping to a 6–3 victory thanks to a pair of hat-tricks for Erling Haaland and Phil Foden.
There was little doubt of Haaland getting the nod on Sunday—even if Maresca is planning to rest the new father for some games later in the season—and Foden also found his way into the XI.
As a homegrown City fan, Foden often delivers his best form on derby day. “The feeling for him is probably different to rest of the players,” Maresca admitted. “It’s normal. For him, it’s a different game.”
Confirmed Man City Lineup vs. Man Utd
Starting XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Marc Guéhi, Joško Gvardiol; Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernández; Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo; Erling Haaland.
Substitutes: Gerónimo Rulli (GK), Abdukodir Khusanov, Iliman Ndiaye, Allan, Rico Lewis, Nico O’Reilly, Mateo Kovačić, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Vitor Reis.
READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC. feed