Derby fight night - Man Utd and City step into the octagon

One of the most magical nights of the 2025/26 Premier League is just around the corner, as Manchester City host Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium for a thrilling derby that will kick off at 17:30 CET. 

This Manchester derby does not come at a good time for either team, as both the Cityzens and the Red Devils have not had a good start to the new season, with Pep Guardiola's and Ruben Amorim's sides not even in the top eight. 

Spending spree bearing no fruit

Despite the Sky Blues seeing key players such as De Bruyne, Manuel Akanji, Gundogan and Ederson leave the club, the club's management has not been idle this summer and has strengthened the squad as Pep Guardiola requested ahead of the start of the 2025/26 campaign. 

The Cityzens have spent around £181 million this summer, securing the arrivals of top players such as Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Gianluigi Donnarumma. However, Pep Guardiola's side seem unable to change the dynamic with which they ended last season and have only managed three points out of a possible nine in the Premier League so far this season. The Sky Blues began their EPL campaign in style with a 4-0 away win against Wolves, but suffered two consecutive defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton (0-2 and 2-1 respectively) before the international break in September. 

For its part, Manchester United were not going to sit still in the summer transfer window after having had the worst Premier League campaign in their history last season, losing the Europa League final to Tottenham and therefore not being able to enjoy any European competition in the current 2025/26 campaign. Therefore, the Red Devils broke the bank this summer for the signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens, for whom they have paid around £220 million. 

However, the Old Trafford side's big spending has not been enough to prevent a poor start to the season, even worse than that of their neighbours, as the Mancunians have only picked up four points from a possible nine in the Premier League after claiming a 3-2 victory over Burnley before the international break and following a 1-1 draw with Fulham and a narrow defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford. 

In addition to the Red Devils' poor start to the Premier League campaign, it is worth noting that they were knocked out in the second round of the League Cup by League Two side Grimsby Town, undoubtedly one of the biggest embarrassments in the history of the Manchester club. 

Red Corner vs Blue Corner: Manchester braces for impact

The Manchester derby never disappoints fans who love this sport, because even though neither team is in great form at the moment, it is always a thrilling match where every dispute for the ball turns into a real fight, as if it were a UFC match in the octagon.

In fact, with so many stars in the squads of both clubs, many of them compete against each other, forming rivalries that heat up the derby before it has even begun.

Haaland vs Sesko as Main Event

In order to take all three points from the Manchester derby, both clubs will need to score goals, and the main players responsible for this are Erling Haaland and Manchester United's new signing Benjamin Sesko. 

The Norwegian striker is already an established star at Manchester City, having broken several records in his debut season with the Cityzens and even winning a historic treble with them in the 2022/23 season. However, Haaland has been criticised along with the rest of the squad during the 2024/25 season, in which they failed to win any titles and did not stand out for their attractive style of play, as we have become accustomed to from Guardiola's team in recent years. 

Nevertheless, the former Borussia Dortmund striker has been scoring goals in his sleep and has regained his best form, which is reflected in the 13 goals he has scored in his last nine games, having netted at least one goal in each of them except for the defeat against Spurs, where he failed to find the net. 

In fact, the 25-year-old striker could not be in better form going into the Manchester derby after scoring six goals and providing two assists in two games for Norway during the September international break, including five goals in an 11-1 thrashing of Moldova. 

For his part, Benjamin Sesko is still a rookie when it comes to Manchester derbies and English football. The RB Leipzig striker was one of the sensations of European football last season, scoring 21 goals and providing six assists in 45 official appearances for the German side. 

The Slovenian striker was on the radar of the big Premier League clubs during the recently concluded summer transfer window, but it was Ruben Amorim's side that finally managed to land the young striker in a £75 million transfer. 

Sesko has played in all four of Manchester United's official matches so far, although he has only been in the starting line-up in the embarrassing defeat to Grimsby Town. In fact, the Slovenia international has yet to score a goal in a Red Devils shirt. 

Bruno Fernandes vs Rodri - Midfield bout

Two other players who will attract much of the attention in the Manchester derby are Bruno Fernandes and Rodri, who will be responsible for directing their teams' play from midfield. 

Although both players can be considered the true leaders of their respective teams, Rodri's decline in form due to his serious knee injury in the 2024/25 season has made this a more secondary battle. 

The Spanish midfielder, who plays in a deeper position than Fernandes and has more defensive duties, has made only nine appearances since recovering from his serious injury, only one of which was as a starter, and that was in Manchester City's unexpected defeat to Brighton. In fact, the 29-year-old midfielder has only managed one assist in those nine games, in a 6-0 victory over Al-Ain in the Club World Cup, which contrasts sharply with the nine goals and 13 assists he provided in the 23/24 campaign. 

For his part, Bruno Fernandes is the undisputed leader of a Manchester United side that, despite being driven by the Portuguese playmaker, always fall short of their goals. The former Sporting Lisbon player has scored more than 10 goals and provided more than 10 assists in five consecutive seasons, making him one of the most complete and fit midfielders on the European scene. However, he has not been of much help to the Red Devils at the start of this season, as despite converting the late penalty against Burnley that secured the club's only victory so far this season, he has failed to score or assist in any of his other three appearances, not even preventing the painful exit from the League Cup in the second round. 

Reijnders vs Cunha - Rookies scrap

Tijjani Reijnders and Matheus Cunha were two of Europe's biggest sensations last season. The Dutch midfielder earned a transfer to the Sky Blues thanks to his impressive performances directing AC Milan's play from midfield, while Matheus Cunha scored 15 goals and provided six assists in the Premier League, prompting Manchester United to pay £62.5 million for the Brazilian striker this summer.

The Dutch midfielder has yet to live up to expectations, but he is a player who has Guardiola's full confidence, having started in all three of the Sky Blues' official matches so far, showing his potential with a goal and an assist in the 4-0 victory over Wolves in the Premier League opener. 

On the other hand, Matheus Cunha is also a key player in Ruben Amorim's attack, having started in all four official matches so far, although he has yet to beat the opposing goalkeeper on any occasion and even had to be substituted due to injury in the victory against Burnley before the international break, although he is expected to be able to play against the Cityzens. 

Background rumble

For their part, there are also several players from both the Red Devils and the Cityzens who are not in the spotlight but who could play a major role in the Manchester derby. For example, Bryan Mbeumo has arguably been the best signing so far, starting in three of Manchester United's four matches so far and scoring as a substitute against Grimsby Town (he was unable to prevent the defeat) and in the 3-2 win over Burnley. 

Gianluigi Donnarumma's debut is another unknown factor in the match, as the Italian goalkeeper looks set to be Guardiola's first-choice keeper for the current 2025/26 campaign, but having signed for the Cityzens on the last day of the transfer window, he was unable to train with his club-mates as he had to join up with the Italy squad, so his inclusion in the starting line-up against Manchester United may be too risky for the Spanish coach, who could opt for James Trafford instead. 

Another unknown is the presence of Marmoush in the match, as the Egyptian winger suffered a knee ligament injury against Burkina Faso during the international break in September and Manchester City have been unable to confirm whether their talented attacker will be available for Sunday's derby. 

Possible lineups for the clash

Man City possible starting XI: Donnarumma; Ait-Nouri, Stones, Dias, Nunes, Reijnders, Rodri, Silva; Foden, Bobb and Haaland.

Man Utd possible starting XI: Lammens; Shaw, De Ligt, Yoro; Mazraoui, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Amad; Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko.