Old Trafford is the stage for derby action on Sunday as Manchester United attempt to close the gap to local rivals Manchester City at the top of the table.
Pep Guardiola's side are unbeaten in 15 league games this season, form which has propelled them eight points clear of the Red Devils, and they will be determined to stretch their lead even further with victory.
A home defeat for Jose Mourinho's men, on the other hand, could have a severely demoralising effect and they will be hoping to prevent the gap from developing into an unassailable chasm.
| Game | Manchester United vs Manchester City |
| Date | Sunday, December 10 |
| Time | 16:30 GMT / 11:30 ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
In the United Kingdom (UK), viewers can watch live on television on Sky Sports Premier League as well as being able to stream live online using Sky Go.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Premier League | Sky Go |
In the United States (US), the Premier League can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Man Utd players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Romero, De Gea, Pereira |
| Defenders | Lindelof, Jones, Rojo, Smalling, Blind, Shaw, Valencia, Tuanzebe, Darmian |
| Midfielders | Mata, Lingard, Young, Herrera, Mkhitaryan, Matic, Fellaini, Mitchell, McTominay |
| Forwards | Lukaku, Ibrahimovic, Martial, Rashford |
Man United will be without a number of key players for the game including Paul Pogba, who is suspended. As well as Pogba, Michael Carrick and Eric Bailly will miss out with injuries.
Mourinho revealed on Friday that Nemanja Matic is carrying a knock but should be able to play, while Marouane Fellaini will be subjected to late a fitness test. Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Phil Jones will be available for the Red Devils.
Potential Man Utd starting XI: De Gea; Lindelof, Rojo, Smalling; Young, Valencia, Matic, Lingard, Herrera; Martial, Lukaku.
| Position | Man City players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ederson, Bravo, Grimshaw |
| Defenders | Walker, Danilo, Kompany, Stones, Mangala, Otamendi, Adarabioyo, Duhaney |
| Midfielders | Sterling, Gundogan, D. Silva, De Bruyne, Delph, B. Silva, Sane, Fernandinho, Toure, Zinchenko, Diaz, Foden |
| Forwards | Aguero, Jesus, Nmecha |
David Silva had been identified as a concern for Guardiola, but the Catalan indicated on Friday that his star midfielder was fit to play.
There are worries over the fitness of Vincent Kompany and Fabian Delph, with both players expected to be assessed closer to kick-off. City will definitely be without long-term absentee Benjamin Mendy.
Potential Man City starting XI: Ederson; Otamendi, Stones, Kompany; Walker, Danilo, De Bruyne, Delph, Sterling, D. Silva; Aguero.
BETTING & MATCH ODDS
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Despite playing away from home, Man City are considered 6/5 favourites to win at Old Trafford, with Man United priced at 23/10. A draw between the rivals is available at 23/10.
Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus are each priced at 7/2 to score the first goal on Sunday, with Romelu Lukaku, who has struggled to find the net recently, following at 17/4.
GAME PREVIEW
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There is still a lot of football left to be played, but it is hard to see Man City relinquishing their grip on the title should they overcome their nearest rivals at Old Trafford on Sunday.
City have won 14 out of 15 league matches this season, dropping points once — against Everton back in August — and they have an unmistakable air of ruthlessness to them, the kind that has already seen them make light work of so-called challengers Liverpool and Arsenal.
The team closest to them, both in terms of points and goals scored, this campaign has been Manchester United and the pressure is on Mourinho's outfit to arrest their rivals' merciless assault on the division. Indeed, should United lose at home to City on Sunday, they will fall 11 points behind the league leaders, which would leave them with a frightening amount of ground to make up.
Nevertheless, Guardiola's men have shown signs that they can be threatened in recent weeks and have been forced to come from behind in games against Huddersfield Town and West Ham, not to mention the fact that they lost for the first time in 29 games during the week against Shakhtar Donetsk.
The signs suggest that City may be at somewhat of a low ebb coming into the derby, but United will, no doubt, be wary of a backlash, especially given that their designs on league glory could be dealt a body blow.
