Manchester United vs Manchester City: Derby Day Showdown
Manchester turns red and blue again on Sunday, and the stakes feel heavier than the table suggests.
At Old Trafford, Manchester United host league leaders Manchester City in a derby that kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on September 13, 2026 — a meeting of two clubs heading in very different directions.
United sit 11th, still trying to work out exactly what they are under Michael Carrick. City arrive as the Premier League’s pace-setters under Enzo Maresca, four wins from their last five in all competitions and purring through the early weeks of the season.
Yet derbies rarely follow the form guide. Old Trafford knows that better than most.
How to watch in the United States
For viewers in the U.S., the game is live on NBCSN, with Spanish-language coverage on Telemundo. Peacock will also carry the match, while cord-cutters can stream via Fubo and DirecTV Stream.
- NBCSN – live TV broadcast
- Telemundo – Spanish-language coverage
- Peacock – streaming
- Fubo – streaming
- DirecTV Stream – streaming
Local broadcast options outside the U.S. vary by region.
United’s chaos, City’s control
Carrick’s United walk into this derby with a split personality.
On one side, there’s the swagger of a 4–0 Champions League win over Sabah FK on Thursday and a 5–2 league victory over Ipswich Town. On the other, a 2–2 draw with Everton and a flat 0–2 defeat to Hull City have dragged them back into mid-table reality. A 2–4 loss to AC Milan in pre-season still lingers as a reminder of how fragile they can look when the structure slips.
Thirteen goals scored across their last five matches. Ten conceded. Entertainment, yes. Control, not so much.
City, by contrast, travel across town with the calm of a side that knows exactly what it is. Maresca’s team have won four of their last five, including a 2–0 Champions League win away to FC Porto and three straight Premier League victories capped by a 4–1 dismantling of Crystal Palace.
The only blemish? A 3–0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield. Since then, they’ve tightened up, scoring eight and conceding just two in five games.
Top of the table. Form side of the division. Old Trafford is their next test.
Team news: doubts, absentees and big calls
Carrick’s selection board carries more red ink than he would like.
Amad Diallo, Carlos Baleba, Matthijs de Ligt, Tom Heaton and Manuel Ugarte are all ruled out through injury. Luke Shaw, left out of the midweek European squad, faces a late fitness test as United manage his condition carefully.
If Shaw makes it, the projected XI has a familiar shape:
Senne Lammens in goal; a back four of Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire and Shaw; a midfield three of Youri Tielemans, Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo; and a front line of Bryan Mbeumo, Marcus Rashford and Matheus Cunha.
The big question is whether Shaw can give United the balance they’ve been chasing down the left. Off the pitch, that search has already taken a hit. Lewis Hall’s new long-term deal at Newcastle has closed one of United’s preferred avenues for a long-term solution in that position.
City arrive with fewer, but still notable, issues. Maresca has confirmed that Jeremy Doku and Nico O’Reilly are sidelined through injury, though he has no suspensions to worry about.
His likely XI is stacked with familiar power:
Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal; a back four of Josko Gvardiol, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guehi and Ruben Dias; a midfield of Rayan Cherki, Enzo Fernandez and Elliot Anderson; and an attacking trio of Antoine Semenyo, Iliman Ndiaye and Erling Haaland.
Haaland remains the obvious threat. The rest of the side is built to feed him.
A derby under pressure
This isn’t just about the league table for United. The mood around Old Trafford has been raw.
The club this week banned 685 fan accounts and sanctioned hundreds more after a ticket touting investigation, a move that underlines how tense the relationship between the hierarchy and sections of the support has become. The atmosphere sharpened further when coach Darren Fletcher confronted fans who aimed abuse at players following the Champions League win.
That’s the backdrop as City roll in: a club trying to steady itself on and off the pitch, facing a rival that looks settled, drilled and ruthless.
Recent meetings: no fear factor either way
City might lead the league, but the recent head-to-head record offers United something to cling to.
The last derby at Old Trafford, in January 2026, ended in a 2–0 United win. Across the previous five meetings, it’s dead even: two wins each and one draw.
City’s high point came with a 3–0 home victory in September 2025. United struck at the Etihad with a 2–1 win in December 2024. There was a goalless draw at Old Trafford in April 2025 and a 1–1 Community Shield draw in August 2024.
No side has dominated the fixture. Momentum has swung back and forth, often violently.
So City’s status as league leaders won’t scare Old Trafford. But it will test United’s nerve.
Watching from abroad with a VPN
Travelling or living outside your usual broadcast region? Geo-restrictions can block access to the platforms that carry the game.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can help you get around that. Services such as ExpressVPN allow you to create a secure, encrypted connection and virtually change your location to a country where the match is being shown. Once connected, you can log in to your usual streaming service and watch as if you were at home.
A typical setup looks like this:
- Sign up to a reputable VPN provider and install the app on your device.
- Open the app and connect to a server in the country whose broadcast you want to access.
- Clear your browser cookies or restart the app so your new location registers.
- Open your chosen broadcaster’s website or app and start streaming.
For the full big-screen experience, you can then cast or mirror from your device to your TV, or install the VPN directly on a smart TV or streaming stick where supported.
City come to Old Trafford with the form, the table position and the clearer identity. United bring the noise, the desperation and just enough recent derby history to believe.
If Carrick’s side can turn chaos into energy for 90 minutes, this isn’t just a chance to bloody their neighbour’s nose. It’s a chance to jolt their own season into life.
