Man Utd vs. Man City: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

The Red Devils have won two, lost two and drawn one of their last five battles with the Cityzens at Old Trafford.

A first Manchester derby of the season. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Excitement is palpable ahead of Manchester United’s clash with local rivals Manchester City in the Premier League this Sunday.

Old Trafford provides the stage for the latest iteration of this historic feud, with Enzo Maresca taking charge of his maiden Manchester derby and Michael Carrick residing over the fixture for the first time as United’s permanent head coach.

Carrick was in interim charge for this exact fixture last season and helped the Red Devils to a surprise 2–0 victory over their neighbors, but that means little ahead of the upcoming meeting. Recent duels have been fiercely competitive, too, with five City victories, four United triumphs and one draw from the last 10 battles.

There’s no overwhelming favorite ahead of this encounter, although it’s the Cityzens who have made a stronger start to the season on paper. Despite some unconvincing displays, they have won all four of their competitive fixtures under Maresca.

United, meanwhile, have been less efficient. They have collected thumping wins over Ipswich Town and Sabah FK, yet were defeated by Hull City and held at Everton. This is by far and away their toughest test of the term.

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Man Utd vs. Man City Prediction

Honors Even on Derby Day

There appears little separating the Manchester foes. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Manchester derbies have proven difficult to anticipate in recent years. Despite United often entering them as significant underdogs, some of their most inspired displays have come in this fixture amid a tumultuous period on and off the field.

Carrick has brought some much-needed stability and United’s resurgence under their former player means they arrive on Sunday with every chance of securing victory, especially if they can harness the energy of the Old Trafford faithful.

That being said, few would double take at a comfortable City victory such is the quality in Maresca’s ranks, with Haaland and Rayan Cherki among those capable of single-handedly thrusting the visitors to three precious points and, arguably more importantly, bragging rights.

They’re still finding their feet under Maresca as he looks to polish their imperfections, but that doesn’t detract from the individual firepower they have in defense, midfield and attack.

With both sides desperate to avoid defeat early in the season, perhaps the points will be shared.

• Erling Haaland record: Only three City players have scored more Manchester derby goals than the Norwegian’s eight. United have only conceded more Premier League goals to Mohamed Salah (13) and Alan Shearer (10) than Haaland.
• Attacking optimism: The Manchester giants have been two of the best attacking teams in the Premier League this season. They have created a combined 13.9 expected goals across their six matches and have each scored seven times.
• Carrick omen: United have won nine of their 10 home matches in the Premier League since Carrick took interim charge in January—the first of which was the two-goal win over City.

Prediction: Man Utd 1–1 Man City

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Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Man City

Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw could return to the XI.

Marcus Rashford was an unused substitute in United’s midweek win over Sabah on their Champions League return, but he should return to the starting lineup against City after an encouraging display at Everton last Sunday.

Luke Shaw could also make his comeback, but Carrick has revealed he will require a late fitness test to take part. If he misses out, Patrick Dorgu will feature at left back.

Benjamin Šeško and Matheus Cunha are fighting for the No. 9 position and it’s a toss up over who features. Alternatively, Cunha could play on the left wing ahead of Rashford, with Šeško leading the line.

There are still several injuries in Carrick’s roster, though. Carlos Baleba awaits his debut due to an ankle injury, while Matthijs de Ligt, Amad Diallo, Manuel Ugarte and Tom Heaton are all currently sidelined.

Man Utd predicted lineup vs. Man City (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martínez, Shaw; Tielemans, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Rashford; Cunha.

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Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Man Utd

Summer signings will patrol a new-look midfield.

City have comparatively few injuries, with Jérémy Doku their only absentee for the trip across Manchester. The speedy winger is yet to feature in the Premier League this season, and it’s Antoine Semenyo who will line up on the left-hand side.

Elliot Anderson, who was wanted by United over the summer, will be restored to midfield after only being used from the bench against Porto midweek. He will join Enzo Fernández in the engine room, with Ayyoub Bouaddi dropping out.

Phil Foden should retain his place on the right wing amid competition from Iliman Ndiaye, while the returning Nico O’Reilly is more likely to feature on the bench than in the starting XI.

Man City predicted lineup vs. Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guéhi, Gvardiol; Anderson, Fernández; Foden, Cherki, Semenyo; Haaland.

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What Time Does Man Utd vs. Man City Kick Off?

• Location: Manchester, England
• Stadium: Old Trafford
• Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
• Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. BST / 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT
• Referee: Michael Oliver
• VAR: Matt Donohue

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How to Watch Man Utd vs. Man City on TV

Country	TV Channel/Live Stream
United States	fuboTV, Peacock, Telemundo, NBCSN, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada
Mexico	Max Mexico
United Kingdom	Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra

• MORE: Full list of Premier League broadcasters around the world

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