Manchester United vs Manchester City. Premier League.
Old TraffordAttendance75,272.
Saturday 10 September 2016 11:21, UK
The eagerly awaited Manchester derby will see Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola's fierce rivalry finally arrive on British soil.
Mourinho's Manchester United play host to Guardiola's Manchester City in what is set to become the most expensive match-up in the history of football, live on Sky Sports 1.
Both managers were flattering in their praise for the opposition, with Mourinho admitting it will be "difficult" to predict City without the suspended Sergio Aguero.
"When Aguero is available we know that Aguero plays," Mourinho said. "We know their formation and what their dynamic is.
"At this moment he doesn't play. They have a very rich squad full of options and now Guardiola can have many different decisions."
Guardiola meanwhile was quizzed about United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who he coached at Barcelona before offloading the Swede to Milan after a breakdown in their relationship.
"Zlatan I have a lot of respect for what he has done in his career," said Guardiola. "What he did everywhere is amazing.
"He is one of the best players. Some players need time to understand the league but the big players don't."
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia have all been given the green light to play in the derby clash.
Marouane Fellaini overcame a back injury in playing for Belgium on Tuesday, while Marcos Rojo and Sergio Romero are available despite convoluted journeys back from spending the international break with Argentina.
Marcus Rashford is pushing for a start after netting a hat-trick for England U21s in midweek.
Former Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is expected to make his City debut in Saturday's derby.
German internationals Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogan are also fit and could make it a trio of new faces, while full-back Bacary Sagna has recovered from a hamstring problem.
But captain Vincent Kompany is likely to have to wait a little longer as City make sure he is 100 per cent fit following repeated breakdowns.
After losing four Premier League Manchester derbies in a row, United are unbeaten in their last three against City (W2 D1).
The Citizens failed to score in both Manchester derbies last season. They have not failed to score in three consecutive league meetings with United since October 1995 (a run of four).
The Red Devils have lost three of their last five home league meetings with City (W1 D1), more than they had lost in the previous 29 (W15 D12 L2).
City could secure their 50th Manchester derby win in all competitions with victory. United have recorded 70 wins (51 draws).
Mourinho has won just three of his 16 meetings with Guardiola (D6 L7) - these wins came in La Liga and the Copa Del Rey with Real Madrid and in the Champions League with Inter.
City won the last Manchester derby in which both clubs had new managers - 4-1 in September 2013 (Manuel Pellegrini and David Moyes).
Guardiola didn't win all of his opening four league games in charge of Barcelona B, Barcelona or Bayern Munich.
Guardiola is the first City manager to win his first five games in charge of the club, while Mourinho is the first manager to win his first four games in charge of United.
Wayne Rooney has scored 11 goals in Manchester derbies (all competitions) - more than any other player in the history of the fixture.
Marcus Rashford scored the winner in the last meeting back in March, becoming the youngest player to score in a Premier League Manchester derby (18y 141d).
Charlie Nicholas: If Sergio Aguero was available then I'd be going with City. David Silva seems to have his mojo back but the big question is whether they go with Kelechi Iheanacho or do they go with Raheem Sterling to lead the line?
I still think there's bigger questions over Manchester United, with Wayne Rooney having his issues, while Pep Guardiola has sent his message and is getting the response, which gives them an edge.
Charlie predicts: 1-1 (5/1 with Sky Bet)
Paul Merson: Sergio Aguero is an absolutely massive miss for Man City. I know people say they have so much money and can afford to sign anyone, but he is one player they will struggle to replace. He is their best player by a million miles.
Merse predicts: 2-1 (11/1 with Sky Bet)
Phil Thompson: Sergio Aguero is an absolutely huge miss for City and I think we'll see Zlatan Ibrahimovic relish the atmosphere and deliver. I would have gone for a draw if Aguero was available because you always expect him to score.
Thommo predicts: 2-1 (11/1 with Sky Bet)
Matt Le Tissier: Aguero must still be considered the best Premier League striker so his absence is decisive for me. However, in terms of the title race, the result isn't going to be decisive as the losing side have so much time to recover.
Le Tiss predicts: 2-1 (11/1 with Sky Bet)
