Our match pack for the Manchester derby includes our prediction, team news, statistics, manager quotes and odds.
The game kicks off at 2000 BST at the Etihad Stadium, live on Sky Sports 1.
Man City v Man United: Our prediction
Andy Schooler writes...
Both Manchester clubs playing on a Thursday night. A portent regarding next season’s Europa League, perhaps?
That may be a Scouser’s dream but it remains a possibility given the state of the top-four race.
You can argue that the current standings have set this one up for a real ding-dong battle - United can actually climb above their neighbours and into the top four with victory in this one.
But there are plenty of reasons to suggest that won’t be the case.
First United’s schedule is hitting its peak, the Thursday-Sunday grind continuing for the next fortnight with a Europa League semi-final with Celta Vigo looming.
Many feel the Red Devils’ best route into next season’s Champions League is via the continental competition and the bookies now agree too.
So how Jose Mourinho approaches this game has to have an element of doubt surrounding it, particularly with key men now on a mounting injury list.
Several changes from game to game can surely be expected from now until the end of the season – United will hope to play nine between now and May 24.
While Paul Pogba is out of this one, their biggest miss is undoubtedly Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the only man in their squad who has scored on anything like a regular basis this term.
Their ability to dominate games yet not win them has reached almost legendary proportions now and while many will point out most of those problems have come at Old Trafford – they have won 10 away games and just six at home – a look at how they have performed against the best teams on their travels doesn’t make for good reading.
The only team in the top half they’ve beaten away is West Brom, while a look at their goal figures show they are the lowest scorers in the top seven but also have the second-best defence (behind Spurs), one strengthened by the return of Antonio Valencia and sitting midfielder Ander Herrera.
City have also had their problems against the elite, winning just one of nine against the so-called Big Six. The home figures in those games are no wins, three draws and one defeat.
David Silva, always a major part of their attack, is a major doubt after limping out of the FA Cup semi-final – one which ended in a demoralising defeat. A trophyless first season under Pep Guardiola now looks certain. At least, Sergio Aguero is set to play, while Gabriel Jesus could be on the bench. He’s fit again but far from 100 per cent, according to his boss.
Essentially I can see those hoping for a goalfest to be disappointed.
To add weight to the case for few goals, just two of the last six between these two have seen both teams score, while it’s also two from six when it comes to over 2.5 goals.
Both of those bets are worthy of consideration but I’m instead going to back the draw at what looks a chunky price of 14/5 (Stan James BetBright).
Such a result is far from disastrous for either side – local pride is kept intact, another point is added in the top-four race and both could then pass Liverpool by winning their other game in hand.
City are unbeaten in 11 at home (all competitions) with only Chelsea having won at the Etihad this season.
United don’t lose many either – it’s now one loss in 20 for them – and while they’ve got injury problems at the back it hasn’t really fazed them in recent weeks and there looks to be every chance they aren’t facing a full-strength City attack here.
Jose Mourinho showed his ability to pick the right tactics for an occasion against Chelsea recently and I’d expect another plan here.
I’m tempted by 0-0 at 12/1 (or no goalscorer at 11s if you want own-goal protection) but will take the safer option of any draw at 14/5.
For those seeking a bigger price, a small bet on Vincent Kompany at 25/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair) in the man of the match market looks appealing.
Respected and much-loved by the media (Sky Sports’ pundit will decide the award), Kompany has been working his way back in recent weeks. If the game does unfold as I suspect it might, the Belgian looks sure to be in the running as long as he produces the sort of polished performance for which he’s long been known.
Of course, there’s always the danger with the fragile Kompany that he doesn’t play but if he doesn’t set foot on the field, you’ll just get your money back.
Prediction: Man City 0-0 Man Utd
Man City v Man United: Team news
Teams
Manchester City playmaker David Silva is doubtful for Thursday's derby against Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium after suffering a hamstring injury in the FA Cup semi-final loss to Arsenal.
Striker Sergio Aguero seems to have a better chance of featuring after a knock in the same game while fellow forward Gabriel Jesus could return after more than two months out with a broken bone in his foot.
Defenders John Stones and Bacary Sagna are hoping to overcome muscle injuries but Ilkay Gundogan (knee) is a long-term absentee.
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba will miss the derby against City at the Etihad Stadium after sustaining a muscular injury in Sunday's win at Burnley.
Chris Smalling (knee) and Phil Jones (foot) are still not fit while Juan Mata (groin), Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo (both knee) have longer-term problems.
Full-back Antonio Valencia returns after missing the last two matches.
Man City (from): Bravo, Caballero, Zabaleta, Kompany, Otamendi, Stones, Kolarov, Clichy, Fernando, Fernandinho, Toure, Delph, De Bruyne, Sterling, Sane, Nolito, Navas, Aguero, Jesus, Iheanacho.
Man United (from): De Gea, Romero, Pereira, Valencia, Blind, Darmian, Shaw, Tuanzebe, Fosu-Mensah, Bailly, Mkhitaryan, Carrick, Herrera, Young, Lingard, Fellaini, Martial, Rooney, Rashford.
Man City v Man United: Manager quotes
Pep Guardiola (Man City)
On injury latest: "David Silva is a real, real doubt, I don't know if he will be ready to play after what happened in the first minutes in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
"Gabriel has no pain at all, so is ready but has had three months out, so his physical condition is not optimal.
"Sergio is much better. Today he makes a short part of the training session, tomorrow we will wait (and see)."
On United: "They are good, good rivals, good quality, in good form. They've had big series without defeat in the Premier League. They have a lot of quality, history. We're looking forward to the game."
City have so far beaten only Arsenal of their top-four rivals at home this season, but Guardiola does not think anything should be read into that: "We should analyse game by game what happened. The results are a fact but the way we play every game we should talk about. We have six games left, four at the Etihad, so our qualification for the Champions League depends on our games at home.
"Psychologically it is not (important). Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose against the good teams, but it is an important three points to qualify for the Champions League. That is the most important thing."
Jose Mourinho (Man United)
On Zlatan Ibrahimovic injury: "Now he has important surgery, so I think it is a waste of time to speak about what comes next. I don't know, I don't want to know, I'm not interested in it, I don't care about it. I just want the difficult surgery to go well.
"The future is a big surgery, long period of recovery.
"But the future is also in the hands of a very strong guy, mentally very strong who wrote immediately in his social media he will stop when he wants, not when people think, so it looks to me that he is not going to give up, he is going to fight and I am really pleased with that. That is the Zlatan I know.
"I told him, 'You've fought all your life', so I don't see a reason not to fight.
"We think he is in fabulous hands and he has to recover from the injury and prepare himself mentally for the next step.
"I think the next step will be something he really wants, which is what I said before the injury in the period of doubt about his future. I always thought he is much more important than myself or what I want, it is what he wants.
"I always want players to be happy to choose their future and I think this is what is to happen."
Asked whether Pogba would be fit, the Portuguese replied: "Paul? No."
On stealing a march in rivals City: "It means nothing. If we finish fifth and they finish sixth and we are above them it means nothing. If they finish third and we finish fourth they are above us, but it means a lot.
"This is not about Pep (Guardiola), this is not about City, it is about fighting for objectives.
"We want to play Champions League football and we still have two doors open."
Man City v Man United: Opta facts
o The last time these two sides met on a Thursday in the Premier League was in November 1994, with Manchester United winning 5-0 thanks to an Andrei Kanchelskis hat-trick.
o Jose Mourinho has failed to win any of his last four Premier League games against Manchester City (D2 L2) – this after winning six successive top-flight encounters with the Citizens between December 2005 and February 2014.
o Jose Mourinho has won just four of his 18 meetings with Pep Guardiola (D6 L8), but the Portuguese won the last encounter with his Spanish opponent – a 1-0 win in the EFL Cup back in October.
o Pep Guardiola could become the fourth manager to win both home and away Manchester derbies in a debut top-flight season after John Bentley, Sven-Göran Eriksson and Manuel Pellegrini.
o Wayne Rooney has scored 11 goals in Manchester derbies (all comps) – more than any other player in the history of this fixture – but hasn’t scored in any of his last five.
o Sergio Aguero has now scored in five successive Premier League appearances for Manchester City and could equal his best such-run in the competition with a goal in this match (six appearances in a row between April-May 2016).
o Aguero has scored eight goals in 10 competitive appearances for Manchester City against Manchester United but has failed to score in his last two games against them.
o Manchester City have only lost one of their 15 home league games this season, but only neighbours Man Utd (9) have drawn more home games than them in the top flight this season (6).
o Only Alan Shearer (190) has scored in more different Premier League games than Wayne Rooney (149 – level with Frank Lampard & Andrew Cole).
o Manchester United are now unbeaten in 23 successive league matches and if they avoid defeat in this match they’ll equal their longest-ever unbeaten run in the top-flight within a single season (24 games in 2010-11).
Man City v Man United: Sky Bet odds
Manchester City are marginally odds-on at 5/6 with Sky Bet, who consider Manchester United 16/5 outsiders while pricing the draw at 13/5. Pep Guardiola’s men are also far shorter odds in the top-four betting with United 15/8, although the visitors are odds-on to qualify for the Champions League by lifting the Europa League trophy. Sergio Aguero is joined by Gabriel Jesus at the head of the first goalscorer betting at 7/2 amid the Brazilian’s potential comeback, while Marcus Rashford follows at 6/1 to break the deadlock.
Click for Sky Bet's Man City v Man United odds!
