Manchester United embark on a new era as interim manager Michael Carrick makes his bow against Manchester City.
The Red Devils appointed their former midfielder to see the club through until the end of the current campaign after Ruben Amorim was sacked last week.
Carrick beat competition from his former boss and team-mate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to take the hotseat at Old Trafford, and he will begin his second caretaker spell against United’s fierce rivals.
Carrick takes the reins of a side that sit seventh in the Premier League table, three points off the top four.
Carrick locks horns with Pep Guardiola, whose City team have lost ground on Arsenal in the title race.
City are now six points adrift of the Gunners at the top, having drawn their last three league games.
They found their winning form once more in a 10-1 decimtion of Exeter in the FA Cup over the weekend.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Man United vs Man City is scheduled for a 12.30pm GMT kick-off on Saturday, January 17, 2026.
The match will take place at Old Trafford.
Where to watch Man Utd vs Man City
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage starting at 11am GMT.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Free highlights: The Sky Sports app and YouTube channel will show highlights from 5.15pm with Match of the Day broadcasting on BBC One at 10.30pm GMT.
Man Utd vs Man City team news
It remains to be seen how Carrick will set out his side, but you would expect him to line up in a 4-2-3-1 shape similar to how Fletcher fielded his two teams.
Injury-wise, it’s just Matthijs de Ligt who remains out for the hosts, while Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo could both return after they were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon and the Ivory Coast respectively.
As for City, Guardiola is reeling from an injury crisis at centre-back.
The former Bournemouth winger scored on his debut against Exeter last weekend and could make his Premier League bow this weekend.
Marmoush is still in Morocco with Egypt in the semi-finals. It seems unlikely that Ait-Nouri would return for this game.
Man Utd vs Man City prediction
Could United get a new manager bounce on Carrick’s first game? They didn’t get one under Fletcher at Burnley, and their poor run continued in the FA Cup against Brighton.
United held City to a goalless draw in Amorim’s only derby at Old Trafford, and Guardiola’s side aren’t in the best of form coming into this.
It could be a tight game, especially considering City’s absentee list.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Man Utd vs Man City match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
