Manchester United and Manchester City renew their rivalry at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, with the two neighbours arriving at the derby in contrasting Premier League positions but both boosted by convincing Champions League victories.

Michael Carrick’s United have collected only four points from their opening three league matches, while Enzo Maresca has overseen a perfect domestic start at City. However, United won this fixture 2-0 last season and will hope that another derby can bring the best out of them.

Analysis

Manchester United

The opening weeks of the season have exposed a familiar problem for Manchester United: plenty of attacking promise has been undermined by a defence that has offered opponents too many opportunities.

United began with a damaging 2-0 defeat at newly-promoted Hull City before responding emphatically by beating Ipswich Town 5-2 at Old Trafford. They then surrendered another two goals in a 2-2 draw away to Everton, leaving Carrick’s team with four points from nine.

Conceding twice in each of their first three Premier League fixtures is particularly concerning ahead of a meeting with Erling Haaland and a City attack already operating effectively under Maresca.

There have nevertheless been significant positives at the other end. United have now scored multiple goals in three successive matches in all competitions after following their five against Ipswich and two at Everton with a comfortable 4-0 Champions League victory over Sabah on Thursday.

That European success was useful for more than simply restoring confidence. United finally registered their first clean sheet of the campaign, while Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha both found the net and strengthened their respective cases for involvement in the derby.

Carrick consequently has an interesting decision to make in attack. Marcus Rashford could be the player sacrificed if the United manager wants both Sesko and Cunha involved from the start.

Old Trafford also remains a considerable source of encouragement. Carrick has won nine of his 10 Premier League home matches since returning to the club, and one of those victories came against City in January, when United produced an excellent performance to win the derby 2-0.

Repeating that result will require a substantial defensive improvement. United and City have both registered 19 shots on target across the opening three league rounds, illustrating that Carrick’s side are capable of threatening the leaders, but preventing City from controlling the central areas will be just as important as creating opportunities themselves.

Luke Shaw is expected to be available after his absence against Sabah was attributed to cramp. Carlos Baleba, Matthijs de Ligt, Manuel Ugarte, Tom Heaton and Amad Diallo remain unavailable.

Manchester City

Life after Pep Guardiola could hardly have begun much better in terms of Premier League results. Maresca has guided City to three wins from three, putting them at the top end of the table and immediately demonstrating that this rebuilt side remains capable of mounting a serious title challenge.

Bournemouth made them work exceptionally hard for their opening victory, but City subsequently dismantled Crystal Palace 4-1 before edging Coventry City 1-0 last weekend.

Their perfect sequence was extended in Europe on Tuesday. City travelled to Porto and returned with a 2-0 Champions League victory, with Haaland scoring both goals to continue his remarkable start to the campaign.

The Norwegian inevitably represents United’s greatest individual problem on Sunday. Haaland has eight goals in seven Premier League appearances against the Red Devils, although Old Trafford has been less productive territory, accounting for only two of those eight strikes.

Maresca has already placed his own stamp on City’s football. The emphasis on possession and short combinations remains familiar, but the personnel and structure have changed significantly following a summer of considerable turnover.

Enzo Fernandez has quickly become an important component following his deadline-day arrival. After being unexpectedly thrust into the starting lineup against Coventry, the Argentine impressed again in Portugal and supplied Haaland for one of his goals. His ability to dictate possession between United’s midfield and defensive lines could be crucial on Sunday.

Elliot Anderson is also a strong candidate to return to the midfield after Ayyoub Bouaddi featured in Europe. City’s greatest advantage may simply be their ability to punish United’s defensive mistakes. The hosts have conceded six times in three league matches, and giving Haaland, Rayan Cherki and City’s other attacking players the same quality of opportunities afforded to Hull, Ipswich and Everton would be extremely dangerous.

Jeremy Doku remains unlikely to feature because of his calf problem, although Nico O’Reilly is available again following the back issue that forced his late withdrawal against Coventry.

Verdict

The league table points towards City, but recent Manchester derbies provide a warning against assuming that form will dictate the outcome.

United have lost only one of the last four Premier League meetings between the sides, including their 2-0 victory at Old Trafford last season, and Carrick’s excellent home record gives the Red Devils genuine reason for confidence.

The difficulty is trusting either defence completely. United have conceded twice in every Premier League match so far, while City have shown enough vulnerability during the opening weeks to suggest that the hosts should create chances of their own.

With both teams producing 19 shots on target across their first three league matches, there is plenty of attacking quality on either side. City are the more settled team at present, but United at Old Trafford should provide a much sterner challenge than their league position suggests. A derby in which momentum swings in both directions looks more likely than a comfortable victory for either side.

Our prediction: Manchester United 2-2 Manchester City.

Tip

Our tip: Both teams to score.