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The Manchester Derby has been an explosive affair in recent years, especially with Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola in charge of Manchester United and Manchester City these days. The rivalry between the two great managers has only added to the rivalry between the two biggest teams in one of England’s biggest cities, and that rivalry is renewed on Sunday in the English Premier League.
Adding further fuel to the fire for this match is that these two teams are the top two in England right now, though a loss for United wouldn’t just be City’s 20th league win at Old Trafford -- it could help United slip out of second place soon. They’ve got just a three-point lead on Chelsea coming into this match, and while their standing is safe for now, that’s a narrow lead to hold, especially in the chaotic holiday period.
City will definitely be motivated to get that win, especially for the symbolism of beating United at Old Trafford. That’s not as unusual an occurrence as it once was — City have won four of their last six EPL meetings at the Theatre Of Dreams — but with City trying to establish themselves as the truly dominant force in England, such a win would be deeply meaningful right now.
Manchester City only have two absences, but against Manchester United’s improving attack, missing a pair of quality defenders in John Stones and Benjamin Mendy. United only have two guaranteed absences amongst their potential starters for the match, with Marouane Fellaini and Eric Bailly not yet fit enough to play, while Mourinho has indicated that Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Nemanja Matic, and Phil Jones may not play either. Those latter three, though, are thought to be the center of Mourinho’s latest round of mind games, so don’t be surprised to see them suit up.
Match info, plus how to watch on TV and stream
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. local
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
TV: NBCSN (U.S. - English), Telemundo (U.S. - Spanish), Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event (U.K.)
Online: NBC Sports Live, NBCSports.com (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.)
Make friends: Check out The Busby Babe for more Manchester United coverage, and head over to Bitter And Blue for more on Manchester City.
Listings for more countries can be found at LiveSoccerTV.