Man Utd vs Man City: TV channel, live stream, team news & prediction
By Max Parsons
The Manchester derby takes centre stage in the Premier League this weekend, as United host Ctiy at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the man under pressure on the touchline, although that has alleviated somewhat since the Red Devils' embarrassing 5-0 thumping at the hands of Liverpool. Since that humiliation, United are unbeaten in two, overcoming Tottenham 3-0 before drawing 2-2 at Atalanta. United head into this tie fifth in the table, three points behind their city rivals.
They host a City side that has faltered of late, although they still sit third in the table. Following on from a disappointing League Cup exit at West Ham, Pep Guardiola's men fell to defeat in their last Premier League outing, succumbing to a very strong Crystal Palace to lose 2-0 at home. Although, they bounced back strongly in midweek to see off Club Brugge 4-1 in the Champions League.
Here's 90min's preview of this weekend's mammoth clash.
How to watch Man Utd vs Man City on TV
When is kick off? Saturday 6 November, 12:30 (GMT)
Where is it being played? Old Trafford, Manchester
What TV channel is it on? Sky Sports (UK), fuboTV (US)
Highlights? Sky Sports YouTube channel, Match of the Day - BBC (UK)
Who's the referee? Michael Oliver
Who's on VAR duty? Darren England
Man Utd team news
Raphael Varane will be absent from the Manchester derby, having picked up a hamstring injury in United's midweek draw at Atalanta. The good news, however, is that Victor Lindelof should be fit to start in the Frenchman's absence.
Anther notable absentee will be Paul Pogba, who is still serving a three-match suspension for the straight red card he picked up against Liverpool. The match against City will be the second of his ben.
Man City team news
Guardiola also has ill-discipline in his ranks, as he will have to make do without the suspended Aymeric Laporte for Saturday's clash. The Spaniard saw straight red against Palace in City's last domestic outing, denying Wilfried Zaha a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
Ferran Torres is a confirmed injury absentee, but Kyle Walker is also a doubt after limping out the midweek Champions League win over Club Brugge. If he doesn't recover in time, it could push Joao Cancelo back to the right and offer Oleksandr Zinchenko a chance on the left.
Man Utd vs Man City predicted lineups
Man Utd: De Gea; Bailly, Lindelof, Maguire; Wan-Bissaka, McTominay, Fred, Shaw; Fernandes; Rashford, Ronaldo
Man City: Ederson; Cancelo, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko; Rodri, Silva, De Bruyne; Jesus, Foden, Grealish
Man Utd vs Man City head to head
For all the differing on-field fortunes between these two sides in recent years, there has been no real dominance in this fixture. Neither has won more than two consecutives derbies in a row in all competitions since City strung four together in 2013 and 2014.
Solskjaer is unbeaten in his last four Premier League bouts with Guardiola, a run which includes three wins. But in amongst that, the latter has twice emerged victorious in cup matches.
United have even made a habit of winning the derby against the odds when the pressure is on, such as 3-2 comeback win in April 2018 and an unexpected victory in December 2019.
Man Utd vs Man City score prediction
Derby matches are often tight and, considering the outstanding quality on show in this one, it's a tough on to predict.
United have reacted well to their disastrous defeat to Liverpool, although victory against a despondent Spurs and relying on Cristiano Ronaldo to salvage a point at Atalanta shouldn't put the side under too many illusions.
City have also endured a rocky time recently; by no means as humiliating, but still enough to cause a significant bump in the road. As things stand, however, Guardiola's side probably holds the upper hand, boasting an almost inexhaustible variety of goals and goal scorers. Their general quality and ability to dictate proceedings will likely allow them to dominate their opposition for large parts of the game - and, when that happens, the opposition usually cracks.
It's going to be a close affair, but City's generally superior collective brilliance could edge it.
Prediction: Man Utd 1-2 Man City