Manchester City and Manchester United will be eager to clinch three points to rise in the Premier League standings when they face off at the Etihad on Sunday.

The curtains will fall on Gameweek 4 of the 2025/26 Premier League season on Sunday. The action on the day will kick off with the game between Burnley and Liverpool at Turf Moor before ending with Manchester City vs Manchester United at the Etihad, the marquee fixture this weekend.

Manchester City began the 2025/26 campaign with a 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and it seemed all was finally right at the Etihad. However, Pep Guardiola’s men have fallen into last season’s patterns since then, with Tottenham Hotspur convincingly beating them before Brighton & Hove Albion came from a goal down to clinch a 2-1 win in Gameweek 3. That has left City 13th in the Premier League standings.

On the other hand, Manchester United returned to the top half of the Premier League table for the first time in months, and the positive changes under Ruben Amorim in the last few weeks finally yielded a much-needed win. However, the Red Devils have already endured a rollercoaster ride this term, suffering an undeserved 1-0 defeat to Arsenal and a frustrating 1-1 draw with Fulham before a humiliating loss to Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup second round.

The corresponding fixture last season saw Manchester United come from a goal down to beat Manchester City 2-1, with Amad Diallo scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Manchester City

The international break has not been kind to the home side, as Pep Guardiola has new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester City manager may be bereft of the services of as many as ten first-team players vs Manchester United.

Guardiola is sweating over the fitness of Josko Gvardiol (knock), John Stones (muscular), Phil Foden (ankle), and Savinho (unspecified). Apart from the quartet, Marcus Bettinelli faces a late fitness test to determine his availability.

Meanwhile, Rayan Ait-Nouri (undisclosed), Kalvin Phillips (groin), Mateo Kovacic (achilles), Rayan Cherki (hamstring), and Omar Marmoush (knee) are unavailable for the foreseeable future. However, Abdukodir Khusanov is fit and available after recovering from a knock.

Gianluigi Donnarumma is in line to make his Manchester City bow vs Manchester United. However, James Trafford will likely retain his spot between the sticks, with the home side lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him this weekend. The backline will likely feature Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, and Nico O’Reilly, with the latter deputising for Ait-Nouri.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Bernardo Silva, Rodri, and Tijjani Reijnders in the middle of the park. Finally, Erling Haaland will spearhead the Manchester City attack against Manchester United, with Oscar Bobb and Jeremy Doku completing the numbers in the offensive third.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Trafford; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Ake, O’Reilly; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Reijnders; Bobb, Haaland, Doku

Manchester United

Like his counterpart in the Manchester City dugout, Ruben Amorim has new issues to worry about ahead of the short trip to the Etihad. The Manchester United manager will be without four first-team players on Sunday.

Diogo Dalot is the latest absentee after picking up a muscular injury during international duty with Portugal. The 26-year-old has joined Lisandro Martinez (knee), Mason Mount (knock), and Matheus Cunha (hamstring) on the sidelines.

Like Manchester City, Manchester United can witness a goalkeeper making his debut after Senne Lammens arrived from Royal Antwerp on deadline day of the summer transfer window. However, Altay Bayindir will retain his spot between the sticks, with the away side lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him. The central defensive unit will feature Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, and Luke Shaw.

Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu will be the two wing-backs, with the wide duo protecting the centre-backs and providing width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Kobbie Mainoo should pair up with Casemiro in the middle of the park, with Bruno Fernandes playing a more advanced role alongside Bryan Mbeumo. Finally, Benjamin Sesko will lead the line against Manchester City, making his first Premier League start for Manchester United.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Bayindir; Yoro, de Ligt, Shaw; Mazraoui, Mainoo, Casemiro, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes; Sesko

Key Stats

• Manchester City have won five of their last eight Premier League matches vs Manchester United (D1 L2), but they failed to win either game (D1 L1) in the 2024/25 season for the first time since 2020/21. Meanwhile, the Red Devils have inflicted 25 per cent of Pep Guardiola’s total home Premier League defeats as Manchester City manager, winning four times there against the Spaniard (4/16). They are looking for consecutive victories at the Etihad for the first time since March 2021.
• Manchester City have lost two of their first three Premier League matches for the first time since the 2004/05 campaign (W1); it is the fewest points (3) ever collected by Pep Guardiola in his first three league games of a season. The last time City lost three of their first four games was in 1995/96, a season that ended in relegation.
• Manchester United have produced 58 shots in the Premier League this season, 14 more than any other team. It is their most in the first three games of a campaign since 2017/18 (60).
• Manchester United have made the most off-ball runs in behind their opponent’s defensive line in the Premier League this season (131), with Bryan Mbeumo responsible for 54 of those, the most of any player. Three of the five most in-behind runs by a player in a match thus far in 2025/26 have been by Mbeumo, with a high of 22 against Burnley in Gameweek 3.
• Pep Guardiola has lost 49 of his 345 Premier League matches (W247 D49), with 22 per cent of those coming since the start of last November (11). A defeat in this game would see him take the second largest number of games to lose 50, behind Sir Alex Ferguson, whose 50th defeat was not until his 367th match.

Player to Watch

Bruno Fernandes

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While Benjamin Sesko, Erling Haaland, and Tijjani Reijnders were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Fernandes as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s Premier League clash between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad.

The Manchester United captain may not have been at his best thus far in the 2024/25 season, but he has still created the most chances in the Premier League this season, both overall (12) and in open play (8). He has also scored in Manchester United’s last three wins against Manchester City in the Premier League (March 2021, January 2023, December 2024). Expect him to be the go-to man for Ruben Amorim.

Prediction

Manchester City 2-2 Manchester United

Manchester United will sense they have a golden opportunity to get the better of Manchester City. With the home side missing several players and struggling for cohesion, the improving visitors should give them a run for their money.

Manchester United may have only eight wins in 30 Premier League games under Ruben Amorim (D7 L15) after the 3-2 win over Burnley. Additionally, half of Amorim’s wins have come against promoted sides. However, the Portuguese tactician has had the measure of Pep Guardiola thus far in his managerial career.

With Manchester City struggling to turn teams over by relentlessly creating chances and the away side looking more solid out of possession, there may not be much to separate the two teams. However, the game should see a few goals, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw for Sunday’s Manchester derby.