What: English Premier League
Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom
When: Sunday, September 14 at 4:30pm (15:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1:30pm (12:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
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Manchester City and Manchester United have invested heavily in some of the world’s top attacking players, but Sunday’s derby will instead put their goalkeepers in the spotlight.
City acquired Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain, and United brought in Belgium international Senne Lammens on transfer deadline day to solve issues in their lineups.
Despite United deciding on Friday that Lammens wouldn’t start in goal, the focus will be on those trying to prevent goals rather than score them.
Al Jazeera Sport looks at the latest Manchester derby, this time with an interesting twist.
What have Man City said about Donnarumma?
City manager Pep Guardiola is prepared to adjust the team’s strategy following Donnarumma’s signing and will not expect the same ball-playing abilities from him as the departed Ederson Moraes.
Guardiola believes that Donnarumma, though not as skilled at distributing the ball from the back as Ederson, is “a big presence on the big stages” and praises his excellence as a shot-stopper.
Guardiola met Donnarumma for the first time on Wednesday but hasn’t seen him train yet. It is unclear if Donnarumma will replace James Trafford, who has started City’s first three Premier League games.
What have Man Utd said about Bayindir and Lammens?
Altay Bayindir will continue as goalkeeper for United in the derby match, despite the signing of Lammens, a relatively unknown 23-year-old from Belgium.
United manager Ruben Amorim stated that Bayindir will start and that Lammens, who has “great potential,” will fight for the position in the future.
On the departure of last year’s first-choice keeper, Andre Onana, Amorim mentioned that sometimes a change is necessary due to the intense pressure at the club.
What are Man City and Man Utd’s forms like ahead of the derby?
The Manchester derby at Etihad Stadium feels like a must-win for both teams, with City playing catch-up after only three games and back-to-back losses to Tottenham and Brighton.
United, despite their win over Burnley needing a last-minute penalty, has shown improvements under Amorim, who continues to use his debated 3-4-3 formation.
What happened the last time Man City played Man Utd?
The teams last met in a Premier League match at Old Trafford on April 6, resulting in a 0-0 draw, with both teams failing to score.
What happened in the same fixture between City and Utd last season?
Last season, the match at Etihad Stadium ended in a 2-1 win for United, with Amad Diallo netting a 90th-minute winner after a penalty from Bruno Fernandes.
Head-to-head
This is the 196th Manchester derby, with United leading with 79 wins compared to City’s 61.
Manchester City team news
Striker Omar Marmoush will miss Sunday’s game against United due to a knee injury suffered while on international duty with Egypt.
Marmoush joins a long list of injured players at City, and the team will take on Napoli in Champions League just days later.
Manchester Utd team news
Matheus Cunha, Diogo Dalot, and Mason Mount are all absent from Sunday’s match; their availability is unknown.
Benjamin Sesko could make his first Premier League start, following his high-profile transfer from RB Leipzig.
Manchester City predicted starting lineup
Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Ake, O’Reilly; Bernardo, Rodri, Reijnders; Bobb, Haaland, Doku
Manchester United predicted starting lineup
Bayindir; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Sesko, Amad
Man City last five matches
W-L-W-L-W (all competitions, last result on the right)
Man Utd last five matches
W-D-D-W-W
