Manchester United’s three-match winning streak will be put on paper when they host rivals and treble winners Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Man Utd’s minor upswing in form has included league wins over Brentford and Sheffield United as well as a stunning Champions League victory against Copenhagen, although that is not enough for fans to have any real confidence heading into the first Manchester friendly of the season.
Premier League champions City may have experienced a bit of a slump recently with defeats against Wolves and Arsenal but have bounced back with good results against Brighton and Young Boys.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s clash.
Manchester United vs Manchester City H2H Record (Last Five Matches) Current Form (Last Five Matches)
Country
Live TV channel/stream
Britain
BBC Radio 5 Live, Sky Sports Main Event, SKY GO Extra, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD
USA
Peacock
Canada
fuboTV Canada
Harry Maguire’s form has improved / Jan Kruger/GettyImages
Plenty of injuries and absences remain for Erik ten Hag to deal with coming into this game, although the situation has improved slightly over the last two weeks.
Casemiro is back from suspension but still a doubt due to injury, but Ten Hag are still likely to use him in such a big game. Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Amad Diallo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jadon Sancho are all ruled out, but there is a chance Kobbie Mainoo will return to the bench.
Manchester United predicted team against Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Reguilon; Casemiro, Amrabat; Fernandes, Eriksen, Rashford; Höglund.
Jeremy Doku is in great form for Man City/Eurasia Sport Images/GettyImages
Things are looking pretty good for Man City right now from a fitness point of view, with Kevin De Bruyne and Zack Steffen the only senior players without injuries. De Bruyne is still a big loss, but there is still plenty of attacking talent for Pep Guardiola to choose from.
After his red card in the last Premier League match, Manuel Akanji is suspended and will not play any part against Man Utd.
Man City predicted team against Man Utd (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Guardiol; Steinar, Rodri; Foden, Alvarez, Silva, Doku; Haaland.
This game might have been terrifying for Man Utd supporters if it had been played in September, when Man City looked unstoppable. However, Arsenal and Wolves have since won the Champions League so it is not implausible to imagine a home win.
That said, Man Utd seem to be on a self-defeating attack at the moment and this Man City team isn’t letting them get away with it. It may not be complete happiness like we’ve seen before, but expect Man City to take the points from Old Trafford.
Prediction: Man Utd 1-2 Man City READ OTHER PREDICTIONS in the Premier League for 90 min.