Antonio Conte believes Manchester City will not be beaten in the derby. (Reuters)

Antonio Conte believes Manchester United will not beat Manchester City in Sunday’s derby at Old Trafford.

Jose Mourinho’s side could close the gap to five points at the top of the Premier League if they manage to secure a victory over their rivals.

Pep Guardiola’s men head into the fixture off the back of their first defeat of the season after losing 2-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

But Conte feels that City are unlikely to record back-to-back defeats.

‘It’s very difficult to see two defeats in a row for a great team, it’s very difficult,’ the Chelsea manager claimed on Friday.

Jose Mourinho points
Jose Mourinho’s United host City at Old Trafford. (PA Wire)

‘Usually, it’s very difficult to see two defeats in a great team from my experience, but at the same time, Manchester United can beat Manchester City.

‘It was better if Manchester City didn’t lose the game against Shakhtar for these stats.’

Manchester City were beaten by Shakhtar on Wednesday. (Reuters)

Conte also revealed that he will be keeping a close eye on Sunday’s match between City and United.

‘At my house, yes, for sure I’ll watch the game, I love football, I love to watch this type of game,’ said Conte.

‘For sure it will be a big game, both teams are very strong, very good, maybe the best in this league, for this reason I think it’ll be right to watch this game.’