Preview: Manchester United vs Manchester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Manchester United’s new interim boss Michael Carrick faces the hottest baptism of fire possible on Saturday lunchtime, as his side lock horns with bitter rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford in the 198th instalment of the Manchester derby.

Supporters from both sides will be hoping for a more eventful Premier League showdown this time around, after a painfully dull 0-0 draw was played out in their last encounter on the red side of Manchester in April last year.

Match preview

Eight days after the sacking of Ruben Amorim, Man United announced the appointment of former captain Michael Carrick as interim head coach on a deal until the end of the season. This will be the 44-year-old’s second stint in the Old Trafford hotseat following his three-game spell in November/December 2021 (W2 D1).

Carrick returns to the dugout seven months after his dismissal from Middlesbrough, where he won 46.3% of his 136 games in charge, and has taken over a Man United side who currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, only three points behind the top four despite winning just one of their last six matches (W1 D4 L1).

Three disappointing top-flight score draws with Wolves, Leeds and Burnley were followed by a 2-1 home defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup third round last weekend - Darren Fletcher's final game as interim boss - with elimination confirming that Man United will play just 40 matches this season, making it their shortest campaign since 1914-15.

Making an immediate impact in back-to-back clashes with Man City and leaders Arsenal could prove challenging for Carrick. Against the former, Man United lost the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium by a 3-0 scoreline in September; they last failed to score in both league meetings with the Citizens in 1973-74, a season that saw them relegated from the top division.

Man United have also failed to score in four of their last five Premier League home encounters with Man City, including the last two in a row; they have not endured a three-game goal drought on home soil against the Citizens since a run of four between December 1911 and September 1914.

Man City’s response to kick-starting 2026 with three frustrating Premier League draws was to annihilate Exeter City by a 10-1 scoreline in the FA Cup third round last weekend, before securing an important 2-0 first-leg win away against EFL Cup holders Newcastle United in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

January signing Antoine Semenyo has seamlessly slotted into Pep Guardiola’s side following his £64m transfer from Bournemouth, scoring two goals and producing two man-of-the-match displays in as many games to move the Citizens one step closer to securing domestic silverware this term.

Man City boast a 13-game unbeaten run across all competitions (W10 D3) and have not lost any of their last nine in the Premier League during this period (W6 D3). Despite this strong form, the Citizens still face an uphill battle to cut the six-point deficit to leaders and title rivals Arsenal with 17 fixtures remaining.

Guardiola, currently the longest serving Premier League manager (nine years, 199 days), is gearing up for his 31st Manchester derby as City boss. Only against Liverpool and Tottenham (10 each) has the Catalan lost more games against a single opponent in his managerial career than he has against Man United (nine).

Nevertheless, Citizens supporters can take comfort from the fact that Man City have won more Premier League away matches against Man United than any other visiting team (nine), while only Liverpool (41) have scored more goals at Old Trafford than the Sky Blues (37).

Manchester United Premier League form:

Manchester United form (all competitions):

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City form (all competitions):

Team News

Man United are still having to cope without Noussair Mazraoui (AFCON) and injured defender Matthijs de Ligt (back), while teenage forward Shea Lacey is suspended following his late red card in last weekend’s FA Cup defeat to Brighton.

However, Carrick will be able to call upon attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo following their eliminations from AFCON. The former is United’s top scorer this season with seven goals and is seemingly more likely to start on the right flank.

Carrick, who is expected to stick with a back four, has a few selection dilemmas as he weighs up whether to play Luke Shaw or Patrick Dorgu at left-back, while midfielder Kobbie Mainoo will be hoping to start his first PL game of the season ahead of Manuel Ugarte and Mason Mount.

Only Erling Haaland (12) and Igor Thiago (11) have been involved in more PL goals since the start of November than Bruno Fernandes (10 - three goals, seven assists). The Red Devils captain leads the division overall for chances created (56), line-breaking passes (17) and line-breaking passes leading to shots (30) this season.

As for Man City, Josko Gvardiol (tibial fracture), Mateo Kovacic (ankle/heel), John Stones (thigh), Ruben Dias, Oscar Bobb (both hamstring) and Savinho (unspecified) are all sidelined with injuries, while Omar Marmoush is still away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt.

Semenyo has scored three goals in his previous four games against Man United and is a strong contender to start again on either flank for City. A recall for playmaker Rayan Cherki - who also scored in midweek - could see Jeremy Doku make way from the first XI.

Cherki could be deployed in an advanced role next to Phil Foden, who has only netted more PL goals against Brighton (eight) than he has against Man United (seven), while few will be surprised to see Haaland lead the line – the Norwegian has been involved in more PL goals against the Red Devils than any other City player (11 - eight goals, three assists).

Max Alleyne has won 92% of his duels for Man City this season (12/13), including all six of the aerial duels he has contested, since returning from his loan at Watford, and the 20-year-old could be rewarded with another start at centre-back alongside Abdukodir Khusanov.

Manchester United possible starting lineup:

Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Alleyne, O’Reilly; Rodri; Bernardo, Cherki, Foden, Semenyo; Haaland

We say: Manchester United 1-3 Manchester City

Saturday’s contest will be the first meeting between two teams both on a run of three or more consecutive Premier League draws since February 2001 when Spurs beat Man City 1-0. Another tight affair cannot be ruled out here, but it is difficult to envisage a game without goals on this occasion.

The Red Devils will be hoping for a manager bounce under Carrick in front of a fired-up Old Trafford crowd, but we are backing an in-form Man City outfit to outscore their opponents and claim three important points as well as the bragging rights.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.