Manchester Derby: City Seek Fourth Straight League Win

Manchester City will seek a fourth consecutive Premier League victory when they visit Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, September 13. It will be Enzo Maresca’s first Manchester derby as City manager following his appointment in the summer.

City have nine points from three league matches, while Michael Carrick’s United have four. Both clubs won in the Champions League this week, although City played at Porto on Tuesday, two days before United hosted Sabah.

United’s form and Šeško’s return

United have conceded twice in each of their three league matches. An opening 2–0 loss at Hull City was followed by a 5–2 win over Ipswich Town, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a hat-trick, and last Sunday’s 2–2 draw at Everton.

At Everton, Šeško restored United’s lead in the 88th minute, but Ainsley Maitland-Niles equalised in the sixth minute of stoppage time after United had led twice. “Maybe there’s a little bit of managing the game a little bit better,” Carrick said afterwards.

Šeško then scored in Thursday’s 4–0 win over Sabah, rounding the goalkeeper after a pass from Bryan Mbeumo. It was his first start of the season, and he played alongside Matheus Cunha, who scored United’s opening goal.

The striker returned from a shin injury last month but had not completed a full match since his comeback, Reuters reported on September 11. Carrick praised his “physicality, playing on the last line and his speed to run in behind.”

City’s winning run

City began their league campaign with a 2–1 home win over Bournemouth before winning 4–1 at Crystal Palace. A 1–0 victory against Coventry City completed their opening sequence of three wins.

Erling Haaland scored both goals in the 2–0 win at Porto, heading home in the 47th minute and adding his second in stoppage time. The result extended City’s winning run to four matches across all competitions.

Maresca referred to the atmosphere in Porto when discussing his preparations for Old Trafford. “I think the most important thing for the players is to be focused on the game,” he said at Friday’s press conference.

The latest team news

Carrick expects Marcus Rashford to be available after keeping him as an unused substitute against Sabah as a precaution, Reuters reported. Rashford had started United’s previous league match at Everton.

The Standard’s Friday team-news report lists Luke Shaw and Carlos Baleba as doubts. Shaw missed the Sabah match, while Baleba is still awaiting his United debut after an ankle injury. The report also lists Amad and Manuel Ugarte among United’s absentees, along with Matthijs de Ligt and Tom Heaton.

For City, Maresca confirmed that Nico O’Reilly is available for selection after a back problem caused him to miss the Coventry and Porto matches. “Nico is 100% available,” the manager said on Friday.

Jérémy Doku remains out with the calf problem sustained during August’s Community Shield. Maresca said the winger needed more time before returning, according to the same club update.

The last Old Trafford derby

United won the previous meeting at Old Trafford 2–0 on January 17. Fernandes supplied Mbeumo for the opener, and substitute Cunha crossed for Patrick Dorgu to score the second. Pep Guardiola was City’s manager for that match.

Carrick told reporters on Friday that United were not assuming the same approach would produce another victory against Maresca’s side.

How to watch in the USA and Canada

For the full round, see our Premier League TV schedule for the USA and Canada.

Kickoff times use daylight time in the four named zones. Team news reflects the September 11 pre-match updates; starting lineups are not yet confirmed.

Archive photograph: Steffen Prößdorf / Wikimedia Commons. Phil Foden playing for Manchester City at RB Leipzig, October 4, 2023. Cropped and resized; image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.