Manchester United come into the match as the underdogs after a 1-1 draw away to CSKA Moscow during their UEFA Champions League fixture on Wednesday, while Manchester City are top of the Premier League and fresh from a home win against Sevilla in the Champions League.
Sunday’s crunch tie will be the 170th Manchester derby where some of the newest and most expensive players in the Premier League are expected to prove their worth for their respective clubs. Here is a preview of the key battles and players to watch during the high-profile derby.
Matteo Darmian Vs Raheem Sterling
Manchester United’s right-back Matteo Darmian will meet a highly-paced and goal-thirsty opposition lead by the likes of Raheem Sterling who has been ruthless in front of goal since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium from Anfield. The 20-year-old Manchester City forward, who is also the most expensive English player in history, is likely to start alongside Kevin De Bruyne after the absence of Argentina international Sergio Aguero. City have scored 24 goals this season so far and 11 in their previous two league games. With such a goal-minded attack, fans from both sides can expect a high scoring game when the two bitter rivals clash for supremacy and of course, three crucial points.
You can't see me: On-form Sterling celebrates his goal for Manchester City
Back to Old Trafford, Darmian’s experience and composure while under pressure makes him one of the only three Man United players to start in every Premier League game this season. The other two are Chris Smalling and Juan Mata. The defensive unit at Man Utd consists of Darmian and Smalling as regular starters, a partnership that has managed to keep five clean sheets this season, and conceded only one goal at home. No other team in the Premier League has conceded fewer home goals this season than the Red Devils.
Airbone: Manchester United's Matteo Darmian fights for an aeriel ball with Tottenham's Harry Kane
Darmian is also one of the fastest Premier League defenders this season, with an average speed of 7.06kph, compared to Sterling’s 6.7kph. The former Torino man has also attempted 29 tackles this season and won 22.
Anthony Martial vs Nicolas Otamendi
Ever since his arrival at Old Trafford, Martial has been providing spectacular performances as a center forward, having scored 5 goals out of 9 matches. Sunday’s game exposes the 19-year-old French wonder kid to a tougher challenge against center-back Nicolas Otamendi. Martial has an eye for the goal while Otamendi has the composure and physique of a defender, which eventually makes it an interesting encounter when the two Premier League new-comers clash this weekend.
Martial arts: Man United's deadline day signing celebrates his spectacular debut goal against Liverpool
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Martial is well-known for his dribbling skills, great pace and one-on-one penetration into the opponent's box. This was evident on his debut at Old Trafford when he single-handedly rearranged Liverpool’s defence line and scored the fourth goal of the match, which was the third for Man United.
Calm and collected: Otamendi during a previous interview with Man City
With a defense line marshalled by the likes of Otamedi, Eliaquim Mangala, Aleksandar Kolarov and Bacary Sagna, it will be interesting to see whether young Martial and the hot-and-cold Rooney will put the ball past Joe Hart.
Team news
Manchester City
Manchester City could miss the services of their captain Vincent Kompany who is injured, reports the Daily Express. Kompany played as a substitute against Sevilla for less than a minute on Wednesday. City will also play without David Silva and Sergio Aguero.
Manchester United
Louis Van Gaal has already given his opponents an advantage ahead of the match by claiming that they are at a better position to win the Manchester derby since they did not travel away from home for their weekday Champions League fixture against Sevilla. Van Gaal now claims that Man United players may be fatigued after travelling to Moscow for their Champions League match against CSKA Moscow.
On which live or online channel can I watch Manchester United vs Manchester City?
- USA: on NBC and various channels (check our TV guide for more info)
- Canada: on various TSN channels
- UK: on Sky Sports and other channels
Soccer lovers in the USA can watch the explosive Manchester derby on NBCSN, SiriusXM FC, Westwood ONE Sports, NBC Sports Live Extra and Telemundo at 10:05 EDT, while their Canada-based counterparts can catch the action live on TSN1 and TSN4 at 10:05 EDT. In the UK, follow the action live from Old Trafford on Sky Sports 1/HD UK, SKY Go Extra, NOW TV UK and Sky Go UK at 14:05 GMT. For any other country apart from the USA, Canada and UK, navigate to our live broadcast page to find out different options to watch Manchester United vs Manchester City live on October 25, 2015 in your country.
*NOTE: Live Broadcast Data is subject to change
Last six matches in all competitions
Manchester United: WWWLWD
Manchester City: WLWWWW
Head to head
- At Old Trafford, Manchester United have won 37 of their 80 meetings with their city rivals and drawn 25.
- The two rivals have met 169 times and Sunday’s meeting will be their 170th meeting
- Out of their previous 169 meetings, Manchester United have won 70, drawn 50, while City have won 49
Quick facts
- If Man Utd beats City and Arsenal fails to beat Everton, The Reds will top the Premier League table.
- Wayne Rooney turns 30 on Saturday and will be looking forward to providing a more mature performance on Sunday
- The current Manchester United assistant manager Ryan Giggs is the player with the most appearances in the Manchester derby
- Wayne Rooney is the top scorer of the derby with 11 goals
- Andy Cole, Carlos Tevez and Owen Hargreaves are the most recent players to have played for both Manchester United and Manchester City
Probable lineups
Man Utd: De Gea, Darmian, Jones, Smalling, Rojo, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Mata, Herrera, Martial, Rooney
Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Otamendi, Mangala, Sagna, Touré, Fernandinho, Jesús Navas, Sterling, De Bruyne, Bony
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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