Man Utd v Man City: Key stats and talking points

The 199th Manchester derby is set to take place this Sunday, with Manchester City traveling to Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in pursuit of a win that would extend the gap between the two rival clubs to eight points, achieved in just four games. This will be the first Manchester derby since March 2016 without Pep Guardiola managing City, as he takes a step back from the touchline.

Enzo Maresca, Guardiola's former assistant, will be in charge of City for this encounter. Maresca has experience in this fixture, having served as Guardiola's assistant during the team's treble-winning season in 2022-23. City enters the match in good form, having won four consecutive league games with a recent victory over Porto on Wednesday.

Elliot Anderson has been impressive in midfield for City, completing 122 passes under pressure - more than any other top-flight player this season. Teen sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi, who made his debut for the club against Porto, has also impressed, receiving praise from both his manager and teammates.

Michael Carrick, who featured in 23 Manchester derbies as a player, will be hoping to continue his superb home form as a manager. He guided United to a 2-0 win in his first managerial debut at Old Trafford last season. If he can replicate that success, Carrick would become only the third United boss to win both of his first two league games against Manchester City.

Additionally, United have enjoyed a strong run at home under Carrick, winning nine of their last ten league games and scoring at least twice in all of those victories. However, the past three wins have come despite conceding two goals each time. United have conceded twice in all their top-flight games so far this season, and in 10 of their 20 league games under Carrick's management.