Man Utd vs Man City preview, team news, stats and prediction

The first Premier League Manchester derby of the season is set to be held on Sunday as Manchester City, the defending champions led by Pep Guardiola, are set to visit Old Trafford to face Manchester United in a highly anticipated clash as both teams will be vying for early-season bragging rights. 

Off the pitch, it has been an emotional week for United and the entire football community as they came together to mourn and celebrate the life of the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton, an iconic figure in United’s history. The former midfielder passed away at the age of 86, leading to numerous tributes and the creation of a shrine in his honor outside Old Trafford.

On the field, Ten Hag’s United have faced a challenging start to the season. Despite the difficulties, they’ve managed to secure three consecutive victories in all competitions.

Their significant home win against Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League was particularly noteworthy, with Harry Maguire playing an unlikely goal-scoring role. Defensive injuries have allowed Maguire to stake a claim in the starting line-up, while Andre Onana’s stoppage-time penalty save secured the vital victory against Copenhagen.

United’s performances may not always be flashy, but they are finding ways to get the job done. Fans with Man Utd tickets will be praying the club can figure out a way to claim all three points this weekend.

City, on the other hand, showed their ability to get the job done with a win against Young Boys in midweek where Erling Haaland contributed with a brace.

The Cityzens maintain a perfect record of three wins from three in the Champions League and have won seven out of nine matches in the Premier League this season.

While City have not been in top form consistently, as seen in their defeats to Wolves and Arsenal in the league, as well as a loss to Newcastle in the League Cup, they are gradually building momentum.

Aside from missing Kevin de Bruyne, they have been relatively fortunate with injuries, allowing Guardiola to rotate his squad effectively.

Furthermore, City’s recent record in Manchester derbies is strong, having won four of the last six encounters, which undoubtedly boosts their confidence heading into this crucial match.

MATCH DETAILS

LOCATION: Manchester, England

STADIUM: Old Trafford

DATE: Sunday 29 October

KICK-OFF TIME: 16:30 GMT / 12:30 ET / 09:30 PT

REFEREE: Paul Tierney

ASSISTANT REFEREES: Neil Davies and Scott Ledger.

FOURTH OFFICIAL: Craig Pawson

VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE: Michael Oliver

ASSISTANT VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE: Stuart Burt.

MATCH STATS AND HEAD-TO-HEAD 

• Clean sheets have been rare in the last four encounters between these sides. Neither team have kept a clean sheet in any of the last four meetings between these two sides.
• Manchester City boast four victories in the past five Manchester derbies.
• Julian Alvarez has been the first to score for City on four occasions this season across all competitions.
• Recent Manchester derbies have consistently seen a winner in the last eight clashes.
• Erling Haaland stands as the top scorer in the Premier League this season with eight goals.
• Historically, United have the edge in head-to-head records with 78 wins compared to City’s 59, along with 53 draws.
• In their previous meeting, City secured a 2-1 win in the FA Cup final. The Cityzens have been triumphant in four of the last five encounters across all competitions.
• Last season, United clinched a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in the Premier League courtesy of goals from Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes.
• The previous season saw City win 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium, marking a challenging debut Manchester derby for Ten Hag.
• While City’s last win at Old Trafford was in November 2021, United enjoyed a strong period against their rivals between December 2019 and March 2020, securing three wins in four meetings.
• Wayne Rooney remains the all-time leading goalscorer in Manchester derbies, netting 11 times against City. Meanwhile, Joe Hayes and Francis Lee are joint second for the Cityzens with 10 goals.
• It’s noteworthy that despite the intense rivalry, there have only been nine Premier League draws between these two sides. The most recent draw occurred at Old Trafford in December 2020, ending in a 0-0 stalemate.

TEAM NEWS

Injuries and absences have posed several challenges for Ten Hag’s squad leading up to this fixture, but there have been some improvements over the past few weeks.

Casemiro has returned but remains a slight doubt due to an injury concern. The 31-year-old remained in South America last week as he recuperated from an ankle injury picked up on international duty with the Brazilian national team. Nevertheless, his presence is likely to be crucial in such a significant match.

Unfortunately, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Amad Diallo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Jadon Sancho are still unavailable for selection. However, there is a possibility that Kobbie Mainoo could make a return to the bench after featuring for the under-18s recently.

On the other hand, City are in a favorable fitness condition, with only De Bruyne and Zack Steffen on the injury list among senior players. De Bruyne’s absence is keenly felt, but Guardiola still has a plethora of attacking options at his disposal.

However one setback for City is the suspension of Manuel Akanji following his red card in their previous Premier League game against Brighton and Hove Albion which rules him out of the upcoming match against The Red Devils.

Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Kyle Walker, and Julian Alvarez were spectators from the bench on Wednesday and are all expected to be in the starting lineup at Old Trafford.

Selecting Jeremy Doku against Diogo Dalot, who has shown consistency for United this season, would pose a significant challenge for the right-back.

Drawing conclusions about Erik ten Hag’s team selection for Sunday’s game based on United’s bench during their win over FC Copenhagen would be unwise, as the Red Devils were in dire need of a victory.

In contrast, City are almost certain of securing Champions League qualification due to their three wins in the group, and they have the squad depth to accommodate numerous changes, unlike United.

Alejandro Garnacho, who has received suggestions to start over Marcus Rashford, and Christian Eriksen might be the only two United players who were on the bench on Tuesday and could potentially start in Sunday’s crucial match.

PREDICTED STARTING LINE-UP’S

MANCHESTER UNITED PREDICTED STARTING LINE-UP: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Reguilon; Casemiro, Amrabat; Fernandes, Eriksen, Rashford; Hojlund.

MANCHESTER CITY PREDICTED STARTING LINE-UP: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol; Stones, Rodri; Foden, Alvarez, Silva, Doku; Haaland.

PREDICTION

If this match had occurred back in September, it might have been a more daunting prospect for United fans, considering City’s seemingly unstoppable form. However, subsequent defeats to Newcastle, Wolves, and Arsenal Arsenal have shown that the champions are not invulnerable, raising the possibility of a home victory.

Nevertheless, United are currently struggling with a self-destructive tendency, and this City side is unlikely to be lenient. While it might not result in a complete demolition as seen in past encounters, it’s reasonable to anticipate that Guardiola’s City side will leave Old Trafford with the maximum points.