Who: Manchester United vs Manchester City
What: English Premier League
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom
When: Sunday at 4.30pm (15:30 GMT)
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The Manchester derby has been a clash for titles in years gone by, or at least qualifying places for the Champions League.
This season, United are battling for pride, while City’s defence of their Premier League title is over.
A top four finish should be City’s for the taking but, for the fans of both teams, bragging rights are the priority in one of the world’s great cross-city rivalries.
Al Jazeera takes a closer look as the teams battle to turn Manchester red or blue.
Where are Man Utd in their latest rebuild?
Manchester United may have a grand vision to win the Premier League title in three years’ time, but manager Ruben Amorim said on Friday that the club may not be title contenders in the next couple of years unless major changes are made.
United are on course for their worst Premier League finish, with the club 13th in the standings after 30 games, and Amorim’s task does not get any easier with a derby against City.
Amid the dire run, the club’s ownership announced a plan to bring the title back to Old Trafford in three years to celebrate United’s 150th anniversary, but Amorim said a lot of work needs to be put into the squad to become genuine contenders.
“I understand, and I am not naive. I don’t want to think we need a lot of years to be competitive. I cannot think like that … I know that we are not going to be the biggest contender in the next year or two years,” Amorim told reporters.
“We are doing a lot of things. Sometimes, we changed players because they have had to learn how to adjust to our new standards … We have changed a lot of staff; we have changed things inside the club.
“I know that is going to take time. I will not say we need a lot of years … Next year is our goal. I am not saying we are going to win the title in the next year, I am not crazy. We are in a rush, we are suffering a lot to be better next year.”
Amorim said the club needs to bring in “one or two big players” but the Portuguese knows that in this day and age, with patience wearing thin among fans and club owners, time will not be on his side.
“The Premier League is so different. When everyone says [former United manager] Sir Alex Ferguson took three or four years to win something, it’s not possible nowadays,” he added.
“The pressure is completely different … No matter the context, we need to be there with the best teams. We will have to face a lot of adversity and big teams, more than in the past.”
What was the score in the reverse fixture?
United won 2-1 in December’s match at Etihad Stadium.
Josko Gvardiol looked to have won the match for City until an 88th-minute penalty from Bruno Fernandes was followed two minutes later by an Amad Diallo winner.
That was a result Amorim does not consider a highlight, even though the shock win came early in his United tenure.
“I don’t see one win as a special moment. Special moments are to be competitive and win titles. Even in the third division, you can beat the best team in the country,” he said.
“We want to improve [our position] in the league table and especially we want to win games. We are going to have full focus on this game.”
What is Man City’s reaction to De Bryune leaving?
City manager Pep Guardiola hailed Kevin De Bruyne as one of the Premier League’s greatest midfielders after the Belgian announced on Friday that he would leave the club at the end of the season, after a decade at the Etihad Stadium.
The 33-year-old De Bruyne has lifted 16 trophies since joining City from German side VfL Wolfsburg in 2015 — a haul that includes six Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2023.
De Bruyne has played 413 games for City, scoring 106 goals and providing 174 assists, including 118 in the Premier League — the second-most, behind Ryan Giggs (162).
“One of the greatest midfielders ever to have played in this country, and I think with Manchester City, there is no doubt,” Guardiola told a news conference.
“Greatest/not The Greatest, always you have to be careful with players that played at Maine Road [City’s former stadium], incredible players in the last 20-30 years in this club [too].
“But come on, there’s no doubt he’s one of the greatest, for sure, because of his consistency in important games, the not important games, being there every three days all the time. There is no doubt.”
The Spaniard added that he had known about De Bruyne’s departure a few days before it was announced, though Friday’s news still carried a bittersweet feeling.
“A sad day. A happy day for the fact that [I had] the pleasure personally [to] live with him. He gave all of us his humility and, with his influence in our success in the last decade, that would have been impossible to imagine without him.”
Kevin De Bruyne will depart Man City at the end of this season with one of the most-decorated Premier League careers 🏆 pic.twitter.com/A4Dz9zbNyK
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 4, 2025
What does Guardiola think De Bruyne’s legacy will be?
Asked whether De Bruyne deserved a statue at the stadium like other club greats, such as Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany, the coach said De Bruyne certainly deserved it. “I will bet a lot of money that it will happen,” Guardiola said.
De Bruyne has made 20 league appearances this season after an injury in September and fitness struggles.
After a difficult campaign for City, they still have an FA Cup semifinal to come against Nottingham Forest on April 26, with the competition offering De Bruyne the chance to add more silverware to his trophy cabinet.
City will also play in the 32-team Club World Cup in the United States, which runs from June 14 to July 13.
Asked whether De Bruyne would feature in the Club World Cup, Guardiola said: “I don’t know. He has to decide. The Club World Cup is new with contracts … The club has to talk to him or he has to say what he wants to do.
“The first three games are under contract until June 30, but after that, if we go through, I don’t know … Hopefully, he can continue playing football in another place – it depends on the risk for the contracts and the future.”
Head-to-head
This is the 174th Manchester derby, of which United have won 68 and City 56.
Man Utd team news
Kobbie Mainoo could return to the United midfielder after two months out with a calf injury.
Matthijs de Ligt picked up a knock against Nottingham Forest and is a doubt.
Ayden Heaven, Jonny Evans, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw are all definitely out of the game.
Man City team news
City will be without striker Erling Haaland. The Norwegian netted twice on his last visit to Old Trafford, but an ankle injury will keep him out until the end of the season.
Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Rodri and John Stones remain sidelined.