The Manchester United vs Manchester City clash will kick off Gameweek 22 of the 2025/26 Premier League in what is expected to be a thrilling clash between the two age-old rivals at Old Trafford on Saturday, January 17.
Manchester United vs Manchester City should be an exhilarating clash as it’ll be the first game for the Red Devils under the management of Michael Carrick, which will make it a must-win situation for them.
However, Manchester City are determined to regain their winning momentum in the Premier League to stay alive in the title race, which should make for a highly entertaining Premier League derby at Old Trafford.
Match Details
Old Trafford
Manchester, England
Saturday, 17 January
12:30 GMT
Desperate Manchester United Look To Rediscover Winning Mojo Against In-Form Manchester City
Manchester United vs Manchester City clashes tend to be highly entertaining ones in the Premier League, and their upcoming meeting at Old Trafford should be another memorable Manchester Derby for the fans as well.
With both the Red Devils and the Cityzens looking to regain their winning form in the league, this should be an end-to-end battle that should involve a lot of attacking chances for both teams and also result in a lot of goals.
Manchester United are currently on a four-match winless streak and seem to be in a bit of disarray after the sudden sacking of Ruben Amorim. However, Michael Carrick has brought a sense of optimism within the squad and will look to unlock the maximum ability of this set of players going forward. The Red Devils will need to be defensively much stronger than they’ve been in recent games, but they also need to be clinical in finishing off chances to be able to get the best of Manchester City.
Although Manchester City have won their last two matches in compelling fashion, they have also been held to draws in their last three Premier League games. Pep Guardiola needs his players to lock in and be at their most efficient best to torment the Red Devils, as he hopes they can end their barren run in the league with a big win at Old Trafford.
Manchester City have won two of their last five matches against the Red Devils, who also have two wins in that period, which makes this upcoming clash a pretty enticing one.
Can Bruno Fernandes Uplift Manchester United To Bring Derby Joy?
Bruno Fernandes has arguably been one of the positives of a very topsy-turvy campaign for Manchester United, with five goals and eight assists in their 18 Premier League matches so far in the 2025/26 season.
Carrick’s arrival means that Bruno should get to play in a free-flowing no.10 role in his set-up and this is exactly where the Portuguese midfielder appears to thrive the most.
Fernandes is one of the rare players at Manchester United with that special spark in his game, and he’ll need to be smart with finding his teammates in key areas with his precise passes. Bruno also needs to be lethal in finishing off chances well.
He has three goals and two assists in 12 Premier League appearances against Manchester City so far, a record that Fernandes hopes to improve in the upcoming derby.
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Hungry Erling Haaland Determined To Regain Scoring Form Against Manchester United
Erling Haaland has only one goal in Manchester City’s five matches in 2026 so far, and he is absolutely determined to improve his form. The Norwegian forward is still comfortably leading the Premier League Golden Boot race with 20 goals to his name, but he will be hungry to be a nightmare for the brittle Manchester United backline.
Haaland will need to time his runs perfectly to beat his markers and get in at the right places on the perfect occasions. He also needs to be at his ruthless best in terms of finishing off chances in an efficient manner and ensure that Manchester City are able to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.
Manchester United vs Manchester City Injuries
Manchester United injuries: Matthijs de Ligt
Manchester City injuries: Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Oscar Bobb, Savinho
Manchester United vs Manchester City Predicted Lineups
Knowing the importance of this clash, both Michael Carrick and Pep Guardiola will look to field their strongest lineups for this clash. Here we look at the Manchester United vs Manchester City predicted lineups:
Manchester United predicted XI: Senne Lammens (GK), Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko
Manchester City predicted XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK), Matheus Nunes, Nathan Ake, Abdulkodir Khusanov, Nico O’Reilly, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sportimage
Recording Date: 13.01.2026
