Manchester United vs Manchester City – discussing derby day vibes, tactics and fears

On Sunday, Old Trafford hosts one of the more unusual derby games of recent times. With Manchester United in 13th and Manchester City in fifth, the last meeting of the two with a worse combined league position was way back in… November 2004, when an eighth-placed United took on 13th-placed City.

But although there are no league titles or trophies on the line in April 2025, the match is sure to be viscerally contested. To discuss how the game might play out, the state of play at both clubs and much more besides, The Athletic gathered United writer Carl Anka and City writer Sam Lee. Here’s what they had to say.

With both teams having a difficult season, how much does this derby matter?

Carl Anka: In a season when league positions are below expectation and the chase for silverware looks fraught, local bragging rights might actually mean more. United’s late victory over City in December remains the high point of the league season and gave Amorim much-needed credit in the bank with fans. Another derby win might help him convince some doubters that his tactical approach has a future at Old Trafford.

Sam Lee: In recent derbies, the pattern has been that United need bragging rights while City need the points for their league position. It is similar this time, even given City’s poor season.

They are trying to qualify for the Champions League through a top-five finish and every point is going to matter, especially because they cannot be relied upon to win pretty much every game in spring like they have done for so many years. Given the way they lost the game at the Etihad in December, coupled with their need for points, this is going to be as important as ever.

Which club has more rebuilding to do in the summer?

Carl: This January saw City begin to construct what they hope will be their next title-challenging team, but United have to spend this summer paying off outstanding transfer fees of more than £100million ($129m) on their current, suboptimal squad, and also find funds to help Amorim improve his 3-4-3.

The United head coach repeatedly mentions how his side needs greater physicality to cope with the Premier League’s top teams; his squad lacks the tough tacklers, hard runners and precise passers that made Sporting CP an exciting watch under him. He could do with another centre-forward, too, but proven goalscorers rarely come cheap. The upcoming summer rebuild may rely on talented academy graduates just as much as transfer signings.

Sam: It’s quite funny to answer this question when framed in a slightly different way. The need for City’s rebuild has been obvious for about six months — many would argue longer. They are losing Kevin De Bruyne and possibly Ederson this summer and the club are planning to make big changes, having known that an overhaul was needed even before the staggering dip in form and results. If City want to stay at the top of English and European football, they simply need to bring in more energy. But if you’re asking which team requires more rebuilding, it is probably United because… well…

Manchester City have to replace Kevin De Bruyne this summer (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Which opposing player do you fear most and why? 

Carl: Forgive the oddity of this next sentence: Erling Haaland’s injury is a mixed blessing for both sides on Sunday. City will be less inclined to funnel their attack to a particular point and they’ve had previous success in the derby playing with a false nine (Phil Foden has performed well in this role in the past) or a “less obvious” forward.

De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan have lost much of their running power, but they can still hurt United. Foden has been underwhelming this season, but he knows how to score — and knee slide — around Old Trafford. But it’s Omar Marmoush I think Amorim will key in on this Sunday. The 26-year-old has exceptional off-ball movement in the final third and could sting a United back three that often has problems with pacy forwards.

Sam: Bruno Fernandes is the bogeyman, plain and simple. Whether the fear is an inspired assist or a goal out of nothing, Fernandes obviously has the kind of talent that can hurt any team. He is probably also the most disliked United player overall and given the ‘if it can go wrong, it will go wrong’ feeling that takes over many fans before derbies, the idea of him doing the damage is probably the most unpalatable outcome for City fans.

There are other reasons for the answer being Fernandes: City have been susceptible to pace this season, but that has subsided somewhat with Abdukodir Khusanov in the back line, and United’s derby hero from December, Amad, is injured. Marcus Rashford has done his share of derby damage in the past, too, but he left on loan for Aston Villa in January.

Bruno Fernandes, City bogeyman? (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

How do you see the game playing out tactically?

Carl: Both teams are vulnerable to counter-attacks. Both teams possess forwards who are dangerous when running in behind defences. This will be a match won and lost in the transitional moments. Who manages to hold their nerve after losing the ball? Which team can get to more second balls? Nico Gonzalez and Manuel Ugarte will be the young pups in midfields largely populated by players in their thirties. This will be a match full of ‘old-man strength’, where veterans will have to pick and choose their moments.

Amad was the hero earlier in the season but is out injured for the return fixture (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Sam: Guardiola always wants to dominate the ball, of course, more so in big away games and even more so when his team are not especially strong. So everything points to lots of passes! That was the plan last weekend at Bournemouth when he did not pick any wingers, but that probably had just as much to do with Bournemouth’s high pressing, which won’t be replicated by United.

Both teams are strong on the break, but Guardiola will see United’s threat in that regard and want to shut it down through ‘a thousand million passes’, which usually involves asking his team not to use their pace on the break. As much as anything tactical, Guardiola also has to pick the players that are in any kind of form and that has been the bigger challenge for a lot of this season, considering the struggles of De Bruyne, Gundogan, Foden, Bernardo, Kovacic, etc.

And finally, your predictions for the match?

Carl: United win a scrappy match that has more than six yellow cards.

Sam: Yeah, a United win wouldn’t surprise me. City have been more stable recently, much more than in December, but if United score first, I would fear for Guardiola’s side. That said, United are obviously not up to much either, so I’ll go with City, just about.

(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)