Manchester City leaves Manchester and heads to the outskirts of Salford to take on Manchester United at Old Trafford. After being greeted by three successive Premier League draws in early 2026, the Blues returned to winning ways, beating Exeter 10-1 in the FA Cup and setting foot inside Wembley after beating Newcastle at St James’s Park on Tuesday night in the League Cup semi-final.
City are unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions, having recorded a perfect December, with their last defeat being a 2-0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. The Blues will come into the game buoyed by the arrival of former United target Antoine Semenyo and the seemingly imminent arrival of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. Semenyo has scored two goals in his first two games (technically three if it weren’t for VAR), and the signing of Guehi will shore up the defense, especially at a time of defensive crisis.
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United are in crisis at the moment. The last savior to arrive at Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim, was sacked and now Michael Carrick, an apparent ‘legend’ at the club, is the man tasked with saving United’s season from mid-table obscurity.
They have won three of their last 13 games and, having lost in the League Cup to Grimsby, with no European football and Brighton knocking them out of the FA Cup last weekend, all they now have left to play for is a high finish, and the Reds will be desperate for a win against the Blues to keep their Conference League aspirations alive.
It is a derby in which City will undoubtedly enter as favorites, but they will have to be careful with United playing the first of their seventeen remaining cup finals.
As always, our team is here to give us their vision and opinion on Saturday’s game. This is what we thought this week.
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Saul
Derby time! I have to back City with fit players, at a semi-high level. City win 4-1.
United 1-4 City
thomas
Meet the new boss, Michael Carrick, for now, until the next new boss. What a way to run a football club. Anyway, the Yahnited are in ruins again. Only 2 wins in their last 9 and they have already been eliminated from the League Cup and the FA Cup. Oh, and no European football either. Cool. A victory for City at Old Trafford and a double from Semenyo.
Stretford Rangers 0-4 City
Willpower
United could have their new manager bouncing around Michael Carrick, but after a convincing win in the north-east on Tuesday, City should claim victory.
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United 0-3 City
Pete
Cautious as always on derby day. City are in good form, while United are simply chaotic. Well, that’s a United win then, right? I think we’ll take this one and although I really want another 6-1 but without the 1, I’ll take any win at Old Trafford.
United 0-2 City
What happened against Newcastle?
A very close match ended with the victory of the powerful Blues. Antoine Semenyo, the new bench warmer, scored again in his second game and had a goal disallowed because the nail of the little finger of Erling Haaland’s right hand had strayed offside. Cut your nails, Erling!
Thomas went for a 2-1 win, having little faith in our defense (it’s all part of being a Blue), while Will went for 2-2. Pete got extra points (and we thought Christmas was a time of miracles) as he predicted a 3-1 win, so he gets 2 points for the correct goal difference (he gets dizzy when he’s only three points behind Saul).
Here is the table: