Man City battle Man Utd as Rashford and Garnacho dropped – live updates

De Bruyne’s cross is aimed towards Haaland at the back post but Martinez does well to head behind for a corner. That battle could be a mismatch if it happens too often, though.

Doku thinks he’s beaten Mazraoui down the wing but the ball went out. That battle will be key today, and Dku has had the better of it early on.

City with the lion’s share of possession so far.

It is Nunes starting at left-back for City, with Silva on the right wing.

For United, Mazraoui is right wing-back, with Diallo starting in the advanced midfield position alongside Mount.

Plenty of high pressing early on for the home side.

The home side get us underway at the Etihad. There’s already been plenty of news to note so far today, and we’re sure to have some more soon.

Both sides are in the tunnel at the Etihad and we’re around five minutes from kick-off.

Manchester United have lost both of their last two Premier League games, last losing three in a row within a single season in December 2015 under Louis van Gaal. New manager Ruben Amorim is yet to lose three on the bounce in his top-flight managerial career, with this his 172nd such match across Portugal’s Primeira Liga and England’s Premier League.

39% of Man Utd’s goals conceded in the Premier League this season have come from corner situations (7/18), the highest share in the division. So far in 2024, they’ve conceded 15 goals from corners, just three fewer than they did in 2021 (8), 2022 (4) and 2023 (6) combined.

Ruben Amorim has already beaten Manchester City this season, with his Sporting CP side winning 4-1. Only one manager has beaten the reigning Premier League champions with two different sides in a single campaign, with Alan Pardew beating Man City with both Newcastle United and Crystal Palace in 2014-15.

Both are at a historic low – City over the last 10 games, United after 15 of a league campaign. Pep Guardiola looks to have gone with wing-backs – potentially Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes – because of a lack of defenders. United lack two of their usual forwards with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho omitted from the squad.

In his own press conference, Ruben Amorim insisted that the United job “was my only option”, adding that “when Manchester United talked to me, I had no doubts because I had already something in my mind that it could be a possibility”.

“We will face a great opponent and I’m more focused on our problems. So we have a lot of issues here, so I’m more focused on what we should do on Sunday to win the game.

“I’m really focused on the details. I just want to improve the team so I cannot live it like a normal derby, like it should be – two great teams fighting for the title. And it’s not that in this moment. So it’s just one more game with a very good opponent.

“The great teams can respond at any moment – and I think they are in a better place than us in the type of understanding the game, the way they play and the confidence they have. We will have a strategy: try to win the game with the strategy like it should be.”

City have conceded at least twice in seven of their last 11 Premier League games (W4 D3 L4), as many times as they had in their previous 62 in the competition.

Erling Haaland has nine goal involvements in just four Premier League appearances against Manchester United (6 goals, 3 assists). It’s already the most goal involvements any Manchester City player has against the Red Devils in the competition.

Phil Foden has scored six goals in his last four Premier League appearances against Manchester United. Only Sergio Agüero (8) has scored more Manchester derby goals for the Citizens in the competition than Foden (6, level with Erling Haaland).

In his pre-match press conference, Pep Guardiola said that for his players, “the less emotional you are the better”.

“In our jobs we always want to do our best and when that doesn’t happen you are more uncomfortable. That is not just the managers but there is bigger scrutiny for the team. I’m fine. When I have more thoughts, it is about what we can do and what I feel right now is how I felt in he last month. Nothing has changed.”

He added that City need “to shoot more and cut out the mistakes”, saying: “What I want is my players back.

“I would desperately love to compete with the squad we had at the beginning of the season. My regret is that we don’t we have these, not needing new ones.”

He added that despite the club’s positive financial results, it “doesn’t mean we have big, big resources to buy whatever we want, especially with how expensive the transfer market is”.