After a dramatic encounter against league leaders Chelsea, Manchester United will make the short trip to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City in the Manchester derby. Will the Citizens bounce back after their poor run of form? Or will the Red Devils make most of a City side that seems to have lost the swagger of last season?
We take a look at what both teams will be in for coming into the 168th Manchester Derby.
Last Season:
Manchester United’s lackluster form under David Moyes last season saw City pull an easy league double over United recording comfortable 4-1 and 0-3 wins at the Etihad and Old Trafford respectively. City looked in scintillating touch in both games and threatened to score at will. Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure proving to be too much for a stuttering United side.

Current Form:

United - DDWWL
It's a mixed bag for most teams but United seem to be turning their season around and Robin Van Persie’s last gasp equalizer against Chelsea could be a start to something very special this year. Going into this game United face their toughest away day yet without having won away from Old Trafford since April when the reds recorded a 4-0 win St James Park.

Up to this point in the season United haven’t had the results that they would have liked, but most fans would agree that the performances have provided hope. After the abject failure of last season United have shown signs of improvement and all that is left now is to match the results to the performance.

The Manchester Derby away at City could provide the perfect platform for United to launch their assault on the Top 4.

City - LLDWW
City have been in a run of poor form lately, a draw away to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League and consecutive losses to West Ham and Newcastle means they come into the derby needing to win. A loss against United could see Chelsea open up the gap to nine points and even at this early stage it will be a massive dent to City’s hopes of retaining the title.
This game is a must win for Pellegrini’s men and they will hope to get a one up over their fiercest rivals.
Key Battles:
Aguero vs Smalling/Rojo
9 out of 19 goals that City have scored have come from Sergio Aguero and he seems to be carrying City’s title hope on his capable shoulders. Smalling and Rojo will have to deal with this tricky Argentinian who could take the game away from United in the blink of an eye.
Di Maria vs Zabaleta
After a lackluster performance against Chelsea, Angel Di Maria will be looking to prove his worth in arguably the biggest match of his Man United career. He is a big match player as he proved during his time with Madrid, so it will be intriguing to see how he gets on against the league’s best fullback
Injuries & Suspensions:

Silva and Lampard will miss the derby on Sunday with the former being out for 3-4 weeks after sustaining a knee injury as City crashed out to Newcastle in the Capital One Cup. Yaya Toure was a doubt at the start of the week but Pellegrini has confirmed that he is fit to start the and with Lampard and Silva missing out this could be a chance for Toure to kickstart his season if Pellegrini chooses to play him in his more favored advanced role.

United’s season has also been plagued by injuries in key positions. Michael Carrick a fixture of United’s midfield under Sir Alex Ferguson has yet to make an appearance under Louis Van Gaal. He will be in contention after playing 60 minutes for the reserves against West Ham last week. Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Radamel Falcao are all major doubts for the clash with the Citizens.

Tactics:
4-4-2 vs 4-3-3
United’s masterful deployment of the 4-3-3 against Chelsea will provide Louis Van Gaal with much encouragement and we expect United to line up in the same way with Wayne Rooney in for Juan Mata. United will look to exploit the weakness next to Vincent Kompany with City struggling to find him a suitable partner in defence.
City have used the 4-4-2 extensively since Pellegrini’s arrival and United’s shaky back line means City’s forwards could torment the United center backs and it will take an immense performance from David De Gea if United are to keep City out.
Man to watch out for:
Wayne Rooney
United’s captain has more goals than any other player in Manchester Derby. His return will come as a major boost to United and his leadership and passion will give United that extra push that these sort of fixtures usually need.
Prediction:
2-2
We expect there to be goals in this game with both teams struggling defensively. U-N-I-T-E-D is sitting on the fence for this one with the pride, points and bragging rights shared in the first derby of the season