Manchester City vs Manchester United preview: Team news, h2h, probable lineups, tickets and more

Manchester City play host to the first Manchester derby of 2025-26 as they welcome cross-town rivals Manchester United to the Etihad Stadium in what promises to be a crunch Premier League clash.

Pep Guardiola’s side find themselves in the unfamiliar position of 13th in the table after losing two out of their opening three matches. The Red Devils are only a point ahead of their foes in ninth place, though Ruben Amorim’s position is already under scrutiny following an underwhelming start. 

While talk of the title race may seem premature, a positive result in this fixture could well be a catalyst on the road to success for either side.

Manchester City team news

City exploded out of the traps in the opening weekend of the season with a 4-0 victory over Wolves, but their performances in the subsequent two games left plenty to be desired. A 2-0 home defeat against Tottenham was followed by a shock 2-1 unravelling against Brighton and City find themselves playing catch-up to Liverpool already.

Despite securing just three points from a possible nine so far, a number of City’s players have looked sharp, with Erling Haaland back scoring goals at will and the towering Scandinavian returns from international duty having bagged five for Norway in a World Cup qualifier against Moldova. Academy product Oscar Bobb has shown flashes of his ability, while new signing Tijani Reijnders looked especially good on the opening weekend.

Unfortunately for City, Omar Marmoush is out after sustaining an injury on international duty with Egypt, while John Stones remains a doubt for selection. Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki are also injury concerns, but Guardiola otherwise has no issues, with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in line to make his debut.

Probable line-up: Donnarumma; Ake, Khusanov, Dias, Nunes; Rodri, Reijnders, Silva; Doku, Bobb, Haaland.

Manchester United team news

United appeared to hit the ground running when they took to the field at Old Trafford against Arsenal on the opening weekend, but their enthusiasm in attack was ultimately fruitless as they lost the game 1-0. That game was followed by a 1-1 draw against Fulham, before they were unceremoniously dumped out of the Carabao Cup on penalties by Grimsby Town. The pressure is building on Amorim, but he got some reprieve as the Red Devils defeated Burnley in a 3-2 thriller just before the international break.

Bruno Fernandes remains a key figure for United, with the club captain producing the goods in crucial moments, such as a last-minute penalty winner against Burnley. However, he will need the supporting chorus of Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to step up to share the burden soon. Defensively, Matthijs de Ligt has impressed for the Red Devils, but goalkeeper persists as a problem position.

Amorim has confirmed that Matheus Cunha, Diogo Dalot and Mason Mount are all unavailable for the derby, but Noussair Mazraoui could be in line to start. Despite recruiting a new goalkeeper in the form of Senne Lammens, Amorim has confirmed that Altay Bayindir will start against City. “I believe in Altay,” said the Portuguese. “He is ready to play and he is going to play.” Lisandro Martinez, meanwhile, remains on the long road to recovery and will be out for a while yet.

Probable line-up: Bayindir; Shaw, De Ligt, Yoro; Diallo, Mazraoui, Casemiro, Mainoo; Fernandes, Mbeumo; Sesko. 

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Head-to-head record

How to buy last-minute tickets for the game

Tickets for the Manchester derby are available to buy on StubHub, but demand is inevitably high and prices may vary as a result.

Manchester City vs Manchester United date & start time

Which channel is the Manchester City vs Manchester United game on?

In the United States, the Manchester derby will be available to watch live exclusively on Peacock.

In the United Kingdom, the match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and it will be streamable on Sky GO.

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