The early kick off fixture in the English Premier League weekend is a potentially explosive Manchester Derby at Old Trafford.
Michael Carrick is being thrown in the deep end for his first game in charge of Manchester United as they look to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat to Brighton, knocking them out of the FA Cup.
Carrick returns to the dugout seven months after his dismissal from Middlesbrough, where he won 46.3% of his 136 games in charge.
The Red Devils host a Manchester City side who are unbeaten in their last 13 games across all competitions. City have won 10 of those games, including a massive 10-1 FA Cup win against Exeter.
There is no team that has more away wins at Old Trafford than Man City. This will be a key encouraging factor as Pep Guardiola’s team looks to continue a serious charge for the EPL title.
City are currently in second place with 43 points from 21 games. While United come into the game in seventh place with 32 points.
Man City were previously held to three frustrating Premier League draws in a row, allowing leaders and title rivals Arsenal to generate a six-point gap between them at the top of the table.
This will be a tough test for United, who have failed to score in four of their last five Premier League home encounters with Man City, including the last two in a row.
Guardiola, currently the longest serving Premier League manager (nine years, 199 days), is gearing up for his 31st Manchester derby as City boss.
Our team has a look at all key details of the match as well as our predicted outcome.
What time does the game start?
The match kicks off at 3:30PM E.A.T
Man United vs Man City team news
The hosts are without Noussair Mazraoui, who is still at AFCON and injured defender Matthijs de Ligt.
Aside from that, they have a strong squad to pick from with Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo returning from international duty. Mbeumo is United’s top scorer this season and is expected to return to the starting XI.
Bruno Fernandes will steer proceedings in the midfield with Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko starting up front.
For the visitors, we can expect to see Antoine Semenyo in the starting line-up for his Premier League debut. The former Bournemouth star has already scored two goals for City in his first two games for the club.
Erling Haaland has had a tough time in front of goal but is expected to retain his starting role, with Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden providing the creative spark in midfield.
Man United vs Man City head-to-head and current form
Man City have won more Premier League away matches against Man United than any other visiting team (nine).
Both sides have drawn three games in their recent run of five matches, with United losing once. Both have also won twice in the last five head-to-head matches, with the other resulting in a draw.
Current form:
Man United – LDDDW
Man City – WWDDD
Man United vs Man City previous games
- Man City 3-0 Man United (2025)
- Man United 0-0 Man City (2025)
- Man United 1-2 Man City (2024)
- Man City 2-1 Man United (after penalties; 2024)
- Man City 1-2 Man United (2024)
Man United vs Man City prediction
City have proved to be the better side on the road in this fixture and have the slight advantage coming into the game.
Guardiola’s side are on a better run of form coming into the match and are tipped to get the better of their opponents here.
However, both teams will score in the match, providing a safe wager option.