The Manchester Derby is here, one of the biggest local rivalries in England and a date that many fans circle on their calendars as a must-watch match in recent years. It’s especially important right now, with Manchester City all but out of the title race, and Manchester United snapping at their heels in the battle for the top four.
Manchester City vs. Manchester United 2016: Start time, TV schedule and team news
Both Manchester United and Manchester City are struggling, but a win here could prove decisive.
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City stopped their losing skid, but haven’t exactly inspired since doing so. Their win came against relegation-bound Aston Villa, and the very next game they were held to a scoreless draw by another team in the relegation battle in Norwich City. They advanced in the Champions League, but their overall form isn’t exactly inspiring.
Of course, Untied aren’t doing a whole lot better. They’ve won two of their last five, but looked listless over the last couple of weeks in a loss to West Bromwich Albion and a humblingly poor Europa League performance against arch-rival Liverpool.
Both teams need to pick things up in a big way, and this match could be a turning point late in the season. City are barely holding onto fourth place right now, and United are just four points back -- a win here would put United firmly into the race for a top four place, and it would spell disaster for City’s already-struggling campaign.
Key Manchester United player -- David De Gea
From back to front, forwards to defenders, few people on Manchester United’s team are consistently playing well. There’s so much inconsistency in their outfield players that they can’t rely on any of them to carry this match -- if things break well one way or the other, yeah, a good performance can get a win, but they can’t rely on that.
The one thing United can rely on right now is David De Gea. He’s been the one consistently excellent element in their side all season long. When the Red Devils have been at their worst, there’s still been De Gea doing everything he can to hold things down in goal. He’s kept them in a number of games they had no part of being in, and he’s going to have to be at his best to give United as good a chance as they can get in this game.
Key Manchester City -- Sergio Aguero
Aguero missed out on the Manchester Derby last time around, and City’s attack was almost utterly toothless as a result. While he’s not always a bastion of consistency, when he’s on Aguero is one of the most lethal strikers around. With United’s back line struggling mightily in recent matches, his explosive ability could be the biggest factor in City’s potential success in this match. If he can get the upper hand early on over Chris Smalling or Daley Blind, there’s not much United will be able to do to stop him.
Manchester City injuries and suspensions
Out: Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne, Samir Nasri, Fabian Delph In doubt: Nicolas Otamendi
Manchester United injuries and suspensions
Out: Wayne Rooney, Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Will Keane, Luke Shaw In doubt: Ander Herrera, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 12 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. local
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
TV: NBC (U.S. - English), Telemundo (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet One (Canada), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Sky Go (U.K.)
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