Who: Manchester United vs Manchester City
What: English Premier League
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom
When: Saturday, January 17, at 12:30pm (12:30 GMT)
How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 09:30 GMT, in advance of our text commentary stream.
Michael Carrick will step into the dugout as Manchester United’s interim manager for the first time in Saturday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford, tasked with steadying a side that has stumbled through another bleak winter – and another change of manager.
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City have put behind them their period of discontent, which saw them implode last season in their title defence, and they are once again challengers for the Premier League crown.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at one of the biggest games in world football, which sees the rivals in contrasting form.
How have Man Utd fared in the Premier League this season?
United are seventh in the table with one win in their last six league matches – add to that last week’s FA Cup exit, and the mood is flat on the red side of Manchester.
Carrick’s arrival, however, in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s sacking, brings a flicker of hope.
The former midfielder, who won the full set of major trophies as a United player, certainly does not give the impression of being overawed by the situation.
“I feel in a really good place to be here. It feels very natural, to be honest, very normal,’ he said this week. “I understand the job, what it entails and the responsibility of it.”
What experience does Carrick bring to the Man Utd job?
Carrick had an unbeaten three-game interim spell in charge of United in 2021, but his only long-term experience as a manager was at second-tier Middlesbrough from 2022-25.
He has a contract until the end of the season as United gives itself time to identify candidates to try to end a decade-plus of decline. Carrick has the chance to put himself in the frame in the 17 remaining games this term.
Carrick wants to put smiles on the faces of fans who jeered at the final whistle as United was knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton last week.
“I want to be off my seat [with excitement],” he said. “I want to be enjoying watching the boys play and results obviously need to come with that. You can feel my kind of enthusiasm for it because I’m buzzing to get started and see what we can do.”
After City, United face a trip to Arsenal. Quite the start for a coach barely experienced at this level and taking on a role that increasingly looks like an impossible job after Amorim became the sixth coach or manager to make way since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
How have Man City fared in the Premier League this season?
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City appear to be returning to somewhere close to their best. For a team that won an unprecedented four Premier League titles in a row, however, they still have some way to go.
City are six points behind Arsenal and second in the league table, despite three consecutive draws.
They are still in the hunt for four trophies and a victorious run – similar to that that saw them lift five trophies in 2023 – cannot be ruled out.
Indeed, City arrive with their own narrative twist with January signing Antoine Semenyo stealing the headlines.
Two games, two goals, and his own chant from the Etihad faithful, Semenyo has injected a dose of unpredictability into Guardiola’s well-oiled machine.
While City’s three draws cost them precious points in the title race, their recent form suggests they are rediscovering their ruthless edge, with a 10–1 FA Cup demolition of League One side Exeter City and a 2-0 League Cup semifinal win over Newcastle United on Tuesday.
What happened the last time United played City in the Manchester derby?
City demolished Amorim’s United 3-0 in September in the first Premier League meeting of the season.
City’s goal-scoring machine Erling Haaland struck twice in the match at Etihad Stadium, while Phil Foden chipped in with the other.
What happened in the corresponding fixture last season?
Last season’s Premier League encounter at Old Trafford resulted in a dour 0-0 draw on April 6.
United were already long out of contention for their aim of Champions League qualification but City’s place at European football’s top table was still in doubt.
United also had one eye on the upcoming Europa League final against Tottenham, which ultimately ended in defeat.
When did United last beat City in the Manchester derby?
United’s last victory in the derby came last season with a 2-1 win in the Premier League match at Etihad Stadium.
City led, through Josko Gvardiol’s first-half strike, with two minutes remaining of the match, but one of Amorim’s finest hours was to follow.
Amad Diallo netted a late equaliser to the delight of the away support, which soon turned to delirium, though, when Bruno Fernandes netted an injury-time penalty.
Head-to-head
This is the 197th Manchester derby, with the first match coming in the old Second Division in England in 1894, and resulting in a 5-2 win for United at City.
Overall, United have won 79 of the contests with City claiming the spoils on 62 occasions.
Manchester United team news
Harry Maguire is back fit, and Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo return from Africa Cup of Nations duty, adding depth to a squad that has looked threadbare.
Noussair Mazraoui remains at AFCON with Morocco ahead of their final on Sunday, while defender Matthijs de Ligt is injured and forward Shea Lacey is suspended after being shown a second yellow in the FA Cup defeat by Brighton last weekend.
Predicted Manchester United lineup
Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko
Manchester City team news
Guardiola is counting on Omar Marmoush’s return from AFCON to shoulder some of the attacking load on “exhausted” Haaland. Marmoush’s Egypt lost 1-0 to Senegal in Wednesday’s AFCON semifinals, but City will have to wait for the forward’s return until after the tournament’s third-place playoff on Saturday.
Haaland, who once again tops the Premier League scoring chart with 20 goals, played Tuesday’s full match, including 10 minutes of injury time. He has not scored from open play, however, since their 3-0 win over West Ham United on December 20.
“Hopefully Omar will be back soon to give rest to Erling because Erling is exhausted,” Guardiola said on Tuesday.
Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Oscar Bobb and Savinho are all absent due to injury.
Predicted Manchester City lineup
Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Alleyne, O’Reilly; Rodri; Bernardo, Cherki, Foden, Semenyo; Haaland
