Match preview
Manchester United and Manchester City will lock-horns at Old Trafford on Saturday to determine who will emerge as victor in their first meeting of the season. The clash, which will be the 183rd derby in history, comes with massive significance with both clubs enjoying different strains of fortunes this term. The host, most particularly, will relish the prospect of getting the maximum points following a calamitous end to their quest for glory in Europe.
Needing just a point from their last two Champions League games to progress to the knockout stage, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men failed to secure any as they fell to successive defeats in their penultimate and final group games against Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. As a result, the 20-time English champions will feature in the Europa League for the second consecutive season, having reached the semifinals in the previous edition.
The struggles of Manchester United in Europe can also be seen in their domestic run albeit recently diminishing. Consistency has been the biggest enemy of the Red Devils who, despite making history with their impressive away form in the Premier League, have very little to smile about when it comes to their performance at home. While the club remains unbeaten in all five away games this season, they have picked up just a meagre four points from a possible 15 on the home front. On paper, their wounds could be deepend coming up against a Manchester City side that has lost just one of their five away matches so far this term.
The Citizens, just like their cross-town rivals, have hit their stride after a rather turbulent start to the season in the Premier League. After 10 games, the former league title holders sit in the eighth position with 18 points and go into Saturday's encounter with a three-game unbeaten run under their belt after falling short against Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City in the past.
As far as motivation goes, Man City should be able to draw some from their exploits in the Champions League ahead of the showdown with Manchester United. On Tuesday, the club successfully added to their tally in Group C with a win over Olympique Lyon, finishing with 16 points out of a possible 18 to tie with both Liverpool and Manchester United for the record of the most-managed by an English club in the competition.
With a number of key players also returning from injury, one would also expect the non-scoring form of Pep Guardiola's side to be a thing of the past and there is no better side to test that against than a Manchester United setup that has been overly vulnerable at Old Trafford in recent times.
Key stats
-
Manchester United defeated Manchester City in both Premier League games last season.
-
Manchester City have registered seven Premier League wins at Old Trafford, more than any other visiting side.
-
Manchester City have lost five Premier League away games in 2020. The last time they lost more in a calendar year was in 2015 (7).
-
Manchester United have picked up just four points from a possible 15 from Old Trafford this season.
Team news
Edison Cavani and Anthony Martial missed Tuesday's defeat to Paris Saint-Germain through injuries and could return to the team for Saturday's meeting with Manchester City. At the moment, only Phil Jones remains out of contention as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
On the contrary, the availability of Eric Garcia and Ilkay Gundogan remains uncertain after the pair was forced off during the Champions League clash with Marseille. Sergio Aguero returned the fold and scored in the European game and should feature in Saturday's derby.
Predicted starting XI
-
Manchester United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Telles; McTominay, Fred; Fernandes, Rashford; Cavani, Greenwood.
-
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Mendy; Rodri, Fernandinho; Mahrez, De Bruyne, Sterling; Jesus.
Broadcast information
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
