Manchester United

Paul Birch
BBC Sport journalist

The 199th Manchester derby takes place with City travelling to Old Trafford looking for a win which would extend their lead over rivals United to eight points after just four games. BBC Sport takes a look at the key themes going into Sunday's fixture.

For the first time in 28 Manchester derbies, dating back to March 2016, Pep Guardiola will not be prowling the touchline. The former Manchester City boss enjoyed a host of famous victories in this fixture, including seven at Old Trafford alone, but the tide had turned in more recent times, with City winning just one of their past six matches against their bitter rivals.

Guardiola's successor, Enzo Maresca, knows all about what this match means, having served as the Spaniard's assistant during City's Treble winning season in 2022-23.

His side come into Sunday's game in fine fettle, having made it four wins in a row with a professional victory in Porto on Wednesday.

With such a heavy turnover of players during a busy summer of ins and outs at Etihad Stadium, Maresca must have been apprehensive that his new-look midfield in particular may take time to settle, but they have hit the ground running.

The 143 passes Elliot Anderson completed against Coventry City last week was more than the whole Sky Blues side managed, while his overall tally of completing 122 passes under high pressure is more than any other top-flight player this season.

And then against Porto, teen sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi sparkled on his first start for the club, producing a mature and assured performance that led to praise from his manager and team-mates.

"He did a really good game," Erling Haaland said of the most expensive teenager in Premier League history. "The past couple of weeks in training, he has been amazing. I think we have got a gem there, to be honest."

Haaland is in pretty decent form himself, having scored five in his past three games. He also loves facing Manchester United, with his tally of eight goals in seven Premier League appearances against the Red Devils only bettered by Mohamed Salah (13) and Alan Shearer (10).

Carrick looking to continue superb home form

Michael Carrick featured in 23 Manchester derbies as a player and enjoyed a memorable first one as a manager last season as his second spell as the Red Devils' interim boss got off to a dream start with a 2-0 win.

A repeat of that success would see Carrick become only the third United boss to win both of his first two league games against their cross-city rivals, after AH Albut in 1895 and John Bentley in 1913.

It would also be the first time that they have beaten Manchester City in successive league games at Old Trafford since a run of three under Sir Alex Ferguson from 2008-09 to 2010-11.

They have enjoyed a superb run at home since Carrick took over, winning nine of 10 league games and scoring at least twice in all of those victories. However, the past three of those wins have come despite the Red Devils conceding two themselves in each game.

And their habit of letting in two goals per game is becoming a recurring theme. They have conceded twice in all three of their top-flight games so far, and in 10 of their 20 league games under Carrick.

The former England midfielder, though, has enjoyed a superb record against the established 'big six' and Aston Villa, recording seven wins and a draw from his eight in charge, scoring 18 and conceding just eight.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez is not taking his previous success against Erling Haaland as proof it will happen again at Old Trafford tomorrow.

Despite the relative size difference, Argentina centre-back Martinez has a decent record against the prolific Manchester City man.

Most recently, Martinez rammed the cruel pre-match jibes of former United stars Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes down their throats by shutting Haaland out in Michael Carrick's first game in charge last January.

However, the Argentina star was also part of a United side Haaland scored a hat-trick against in October 2022, so he is wise to take nothing for granted.

"The past is gone," he said. "I have to be ready for this game because it's going to be different to the last one."

The problem for United is that they have conceded twice in all three league games so far this season.

City represents a significant step up in standard from their previous opponents, including Everton, who scored twice in the final 10 minutes to come from behind to claim a draw at the Hill Dickinson stadium.

"Against Everton, we played to take the clean sheet and then conceded the goals, which annoys us," he said.

"It's really bad, for sure, because we want to be there and want to compete, keeping the clean sheet is very important."

United have not beaten City in successive Premier League home games since 2011.

Their chances of ending that record have not been helped by the fact they played on Thursday, giving City two days' additional preparation time.

"It is what it is," said Martinz. "We can't change it.

"We want to be playing every three days, playing in all the competitions. It is what we wanted for long time and now we are ready."

Ella Gibbs
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester City at Old Trafford (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko both "bring different threats" to Manchester United, with Carrick saying who is picked is dependant "a little bit on the opposition and a little bit on the balance of our team and the spaces we want to attack".

• On forward Marcus Rashford, the United boss said: "Really pleased with him in so many ways. He was a real threat on Sunday, unfortunate to not get more success but he was a real threat. I'm not sure what else to say, just really pleased to have him. We have good options so trying to keep everyone fresh".

• On the Manchester derby: "There's no way we're assuming [how it will go]. We won last year but we're not going to do everything the same."

• He added: "I feel we're getting better all the time and that helps us. We know it's a big and important game and there's a lot riding on it. We're looking forward to it and we have a short time to recover and prepare for it but we will make the most of it".

• Carrick praised opponents Manchester City, saying: "They're a very good team with good results. They've got players to rotate from and that's the position they're in. We know we have to put in a really good performance to get the result we want".

• On midfielder Youri Tielemans, who joined in the summer: "All our midfielders are technical and able to connect the game forward. It's nice to draw on that and have that in the team. Youri settled in fantastic, Andrey [Santos] settled in great. Mason [Mount], we're asking him to do slightly different things to what he's done in the past but he's able to do that. The understanding between them is growing all the time".

• On his own position as head coach at the club: "I think I said it pretty early on, all decisions we made were as if we were going to be here for a period of time, I didn't how long that was going to be, I still don't. We were planning for the future and what we wanted it to look like and that was from day one. The performance the lads gave in that City game [last season] was incredible with all that. From the start, it was planning to where we want to get this club to in the long term".

Hit play above to hear more from Carrick or listen on BBC Sounds here

Listen to live commentary of the Manchester derby on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds on Sunday

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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We asked for your views on Manchester United's 4-0 win over Sabah in the Champions League.

Here are some of your comments:

Nigel: A very competent performance without being overly stretched. Everyone had a decent game, although Patrick Dorgu's defending was a worry. Don't see him as a suitable replacement for Luke Shaw, he isn't good enough.

Abubakar: This is the Manchester United that we always wanted to see. Playing well, coordinated, creating and scoring goals.

Oladosu: A good start. They just need to keep the momentum. Belief and continuous hard work, they will go far... both in the Premier League and Champions League.

Peter: A good opening match for United in the Champions League. I've been a supporter for 68 years. I wish them well, need strength in defence though.

Chris: Nice to see a great performance by all the Manchester United team.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United Under-21 coach Adam Lawrence has no intention of curbing JJ Gabriel's natural attacking flair.

The 15-year-old is one of the most talked about players in academy football just now.

After scoring a memorable goal in each of his first two outings in Premier League 2, he marked his Uefa Youth League debut at Leigh on Thursday by becoming the youngest United player to score a hat-trick in the competition.

Remarkably, if he had remained with United's under-18 side, he would still be their youngest player, and he doesn't turn 16 until next month.

Lawrence knows he is working with a rare talent and the aim is to maximise the skills Gabriel has.

"The first thing in my job is not to ruin him," said Lawrence. "When you have a talented player like JJ, you don't want to stifle their freedom and creativity.

"Essentially what you try to do is set the team up to allow the talent to function and play free at the right moments. Of course, it can't always be free and off-the-cuff in terms of some of the off-the-ball responsibilities he's working on and the pressing things he's thinking about.

"But in terms of how he plays properly and how he connects with other team-mates at the top end of the pitch, he's just in a real good space. He's trying to do the right things. It's enjoyable working with him - and challenging as a coach because the best players challenge you.

"With talented players, you have to find a way to help them and allow them to flourish and keep improving."

Despite his age, Gabriel was named Premier League Under-18 player of the year last season. He was also awarded United's under-18 player of the year prize, which in the past has been won by the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo.

"He's surrounded by people that really believe in him, from the top of the club right the way through," added Lawrence. "He's got good relationships with the players and staff. That helps as well.

"His games programme, training programme and making sure he's getting the right exposure across different levels is definitely something we put a lot of thought into. It's good to see him just enjoying his football."

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United will experience far stiffer tests of their Champions League credentials than Sabah gave them at Old Trafford.

In fact, it would be no surprise if the Azerbaijani champions were by some distance the weakest of the eight league stage opponents Michael Carrick's side will come up against.

However, there were some important lessons for the head coach to absorb. The biggest of them is that United are a much more effective unit when Benjamin Sesko starts.

• Have your say on Man Utd's display on Thursday

This was the first time the Slovenian had done so since the Liverpool game last March, when he finally accepted he could no longer play through the shin issue that had been plaguing him for a number of weeks.

He was only at the stage where he could be brought on as a substitute in the second half of the opening-day trip to Hull City. The same also applied for the subsequent outings against Ipswich and Everton.

It was Sabah's bad luck Sesko was fit to start against them - and it showed. At 6ft 5in, the 23-year-old has a physical presence United's other strikers lack.

He offers a totally different threat, pushes defences back, isn't easy to dispossess and runs at opponents rather than away from them. And he scores goals.

Sesko had clarity of thought against Sabah, swiftly moving the ball past goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov before steering the ball into an empty net.

It isn't that Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha can't do that, it is more that Sesko can do it in addition to presenting the physical threat.

"There aren't many around that give you what he does in terms of physique, physicality, playing on the last line and speed to run in behind," said Carrick.

"It is great to have him back at this level after working to get his fitness back. I'm really pleased with the way he has gone."

It is a fairly obvious thing to say, but Carrick now has a big decision before Sunday's Premier League derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford (16:30 BST).

Does he trust Sesko's fitness and stick with him? Or does he revert to Cunha, given there has been no indication Amad Diallo is ready to return?

Read the full article here

Former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock believes Manchester United's Patrick Dorgu showed a glimpse of "what he is capable of doing" at left-back against Sabah, but his performance also showcased "what his vulnerabilities are".

The 21-year-old, who is more naturally a left winger, assisted the hosts' opener in Thursday's 4-0 Champions League win and got Uefa's player-of-the-match award.

"It was his first start under Michael Carrick in that position," Warnock said on Match of the Day. "It was a little look at what he is capable of doing and what his vulnerabilities are in that position.

"We already know that he is quite lively going forward, but it is the defensive side of the game that he struggles with.

"If Carrick wants him to play in that position going forward, Dorgu will have to improve on his defensive duties.

"He was asked to do a lot of running down that left-hand side against Sabah. His first thought is always whether he can get forward, but that often leaves him out of position.

"When he is so high up the pitch, you do think: 'If that was to break down, he would be in big trouble.' The problem is that he has to run 60-70 yards to get back into position, which is very difficult. That's where Sabah got most of their opportunities.

"On the flip side, he has the energy and the ability to get forward down that left side because of his athleticism - but to do that for 90 minutes is a real big ask."

What did you make of Man Utd's performance on Thursday? Have your say

Catch up on Match of the Day here

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick, spoke to TNT Sports after his side's 4-0 victory over Sabah in the Champions League: "It's nice to keep a clean sheet and obviously win the game. Some of the football we played was really good, [we were] dangerous on transition.

"I have to give them [Sabah] a lot of credit, they were difficult to play against. The result looks comfortable, it wasn't always like that. We just did a lot of good things tonight, which gave us a good result."

On midfielder Kobbie Mainoo: "He's a fantastic player, it's pretty obvious to see. He has a massive influence on our games. He is a real joy to have, he wants to improve, he wants to listen and it is great to see."

On the midfield connection: "We've got really good players. It's nice to get Mason [Mount] and Andrey [Santos]. There are some good connections and we have played some good football through the middle of the pitch.

"A lot of it is on wavelength and understanding of where each other wants the ball. Just understanding and developing is something we have done a bit more this season. We haven't had the perfect start but there are really good signs. It's always nice to win the first [Champions League game] one at home."

Hit play above to hear more from Carrick or listen on BBC Sounds here

Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko, also spoke to TNT Sports: "I think it was perfect for everyone, especially our fans. It means a lot to them, especially when they see so many goals. I think it was great for us in general to give us more motivation for the upcoming games."

On his goal: "I saw him [Sabah goalkeeper, Stas Pokatilov] rushing out, and it was a great opportunity to take the ball away from him to make the goal a little bit easier. Of course, I'm happy with my goal."

On multiple goalscorers: "I think it's important that everyone can score a goal. I hope for many games like that."

On whether the result creates confidence for the weekend: "Definitely. I think the confidence boost is definitely big. It's important to recover good and focus on the derby."

Did you know?

• Manchester United have recorded their biggest Uefa Champions League win in their first game of a campaign since beating Panathinaikos 5-0 in 2003-04.

• United have registered only their third win across their last 12 Uefa Champions League matches (D4 L5), though two have been under manager Michael Carrick (2-0 vs Villarreal in November 2021, 4-0 vs Sabah on Thursday).

Man Utd starting XI:

Senne Lammens: Not the busiest night for the Belgian. Dealt with everything he needed to. 6

Noussair Mazraoui: Got forward with frequency. Early shot blocked and another into the side netting. Lucky to get away with a failure to spot Joy-Lance Mickels dropping back at the far post to give himself a clear header on goal in the first half. 6

Leny Yoro: This is a big season for the young Frenchman, who needs to find the consistency lacking so far in his United career. Not too much chance to shine but did not do anything wrong. 7

Lisandro Martinez: Led United's defence and guided Yoro through. Got a rare goal as he pounced on loose ball as Sabah defence dithered. 7

Patrick Dorgu (off 71, Amass): Was he lucky to get away with an early handball inside the penalty area? First start at left-back for Michael Carrick and the perfect opposition for it. His low cross was finished off by Matheus Cunha. 7

Kobbie Mainoo (off 63, Santos): Released Bruno Fernandes with magnificent, lofted pass his captain could not make the most of. Kept finding team-mates with precise passes they did not tend to make the most of. 8

Youri Tielemans (off 46, Mount): Effective link up with Mainoo and brilliant reverse pass to set up Bruno Fernandes for United's second. 7

Bryan Mbeumo (off 71, Lacey): Quietly effective performance from the Cameroon forward, who attacked down the right flank with purpose. Cut inside to drive first-half shot straight at the Sabah goalkeeper and threaded a fine pass through to Benjamin Sesko for his goal. 8

Bruno Fernandes: Ballon D'Or nominee still not quite at last season's form but managed a cool finish to Tielemans' pass. 7

Matheus Cunha: Moved out to his favoured left side, where he is so much more effective. It brought him a goal and almost a second even if his overall performance was a bit below expectations. Does he keep his place ahead of Marcus Rashford on Sunday? 6

Benjamin Sesko (off 63, Zirkzee): Not far off finding the net with a first-half back-flick and was then clear-headed enough to round the goalkeeper to score for second game in a row. Physical presence gives a focus to United's attack. 8

Man Utd substitutes:

Mason Mount (on 46): Settled in alongside Mainoo in a midfield role on his return after just over a month out. 6

Joshua Zirkzee (on 63): Rare appearance and threatened with one shot before a back-heel created United's fourth. 7

Andrey Santos (on 63): Eased himself into the game and did OK. 6

Harry Amass (on 71): Needs to prove he can be trusted and did well enough here. 6

Shea Lacey (on 71): Clearly crowd favourite. Will get more chances. 6

Subs not used: Darlow, Mee, Dalot, Maguire, Rashford, Heaven, Tyler Fletcher.

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Get in touch with your views here

Reaction, analysis and highlights to follow - and come back on Friday for a selection of your replies.

There are six games in the Champions League on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Fenerbahce v Roma (17:45)

• PSV Eindhoven v Shakhtar Donetsk (17:45)

• Manchester United v Sabah

• Bayern Munich v Bodo/Glimt

• Como v RB Leipzig

• Slavia Prague v Lens

Kick-off times 20:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

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Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter at Leigh Sports Village

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United had 44 shots to none and 15-year-old JJ Gabriel scored a hat-trick as they opened their Uefa Youth League campaign with a one-sided 5-0 victory against Sabah FK.

With director of football Jason Wilcox and first team coach Travis Binnion watching on at Leigh Sports Village, United had an incredible 26 shots in the opening period alone.

Skipper Amir Ibragimov took just 72 seconds to open United's account, sweeping home a first-time effort from a low Jim Thwaites free kick to the near post.

Jacob Watson added a well-taken second, before 15-year-old JJ Gabriel stepped up.

Still United's youngest starter despite moving into the Premier League 2 side this term, Gabriel finally gained some reward for his industry when he belted home a first-time effort just before the break.

He added a second after 85 minutes before adding a third two minutes later, celebrating with a knee slide to the corner flag as he became United's youngest player to score a Youth League hat-trick.

United were in total command throughout and introduced 18-year-old defensive midfielder Cristian Orozco, a recent arrival from Colombia as part of United's more aggressive approach to academy recruitment that has seen promising players joining from Liverpool and Manchester City.

It was an excellent outcome for Adam Lawrence, who has finally been confirmed as United's Under-21 coach in addition to leading the club's Professional Development Phase, from Under-16s upwards.

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League has announced it will stage seven matches on Boxing Day this year after releasing its festive schedule.

Four fixtures will be staged at 15:00 GMT, with further matches played at 12:30, 17:30 and 20:00.

The fixture programme for 26 December, which falls on a Saturday in 2026, is considerably bigger than last year, when one game was held.

Three matches will be played on Sunday, 27 December, while three further rounds of games will be held over a period up to Thursday, 7 January.

A round of evening midweek fixtures will staged on 29-30 December, while Leeds will host Everton (20:00) for the only match on New Year's Day.

The remainder of that round will be held over the weekend of 2-3 January, with the fourth round of games spread across the evenings of 5-7 January.

The Premier League has brought forward the announcement of fixture scheduling over the Christmas and New Year period after consultation with both broadcast partners and the Football Supporters' Association and representatives from club Fan Advisory Boards.

Television scheduling for Premier League fixtures has been announced up to Monday, 2 November, with broadcast selections for the remaining games in November and December to be announced in the weeks commencing 21 September and 19 October respectively.

The Premier League has guaranteed clubs at least a 60-hour break between fixtures over the festive period to address the concerns over a congested festive schedule that follows recent expansions of the European and international calendars.

Premier League Christmas and New Year schedule

Saturday, 26 December

12:30 Aston Villa v Leeds

15:00 Everton v Sunderland

15:00 Fulham v Brighton

15:00 Ipswich v Brentford

15:00 Spurs v AFC Bournemouth

17:30 Hull v Liverpool

20:00 Newcastle v Manchester City

Sunday, 27 December

14:00 Coventry v Chelsea

16:30 Manchester Utd v Nottingham Forest

19:00 Crystal Palace v Arsenal

Tuesday, 29 December

19:30 Hull v Leeds

19:30 Spurs v Brighton

20:15 Everton v Manchester City

Wednesday, 30 December

19:30 Coventry v Brentford

19:30 Crystal Palace v AFC Bournemouth

19:30 Fulham v Arsenal

19:30 Manchester United v Sunderland

19:30 Newcastle v Nottingham Forest

20:15 Aston Villa v Liverpool

20:15 Ipswich v Chelsea

Friday, 1 January

20:00 Leeds v Everton

Saturday, 2 January

12:30 Brighton v Manchester United

15:00 Arsenal v Ipswich

15:00 Brentford v Crystal Palace

15:00 Liverpool v Coventry

15:00 Nottingham Forest v Fulham

15:00 Sunderland v Hull

17:30 AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa

Sunday, 3 January

14:00 Chelsea v Newcastle

16:30 Manchester City v Spurs

Tuesday, 5 January

19:30 Arsenal v Brentford

19:30 Brighton v AFC Bournemouth

19:30 Everton v Aston Villa

19:30 Nottingham Forest v Hull

20:15 Sunderland v Liverpool

Wednesday, 6 January

19:30 Crystal Palace v Chelsea

19:30 Fulham v Spurs

19:30 Ipswich v Coventry

20:15 Leeds v Manchester City

Thursday, 7 January

20:00 Manchester United v Newcastle

Image source, Getty Images

Journalist Katie Wilson, who covers football in Azerbaijan, joined BBC Radio Manchester's Michael Clarke and Wes Brown on Total Sport to give an insight into Thursday's Champions League opponents Sabah.

Wilson said the club's progress should not come as a surprise, despite their relative lack of experience.

"The club is only nine years old, they had to go through four qualifying rounds," she explained.

"I think in Azerbaijan it's not such a surprise, this was always the intention when the club was launched. It was always the intention to compete in Europe."

Asked whether there would be a big gulf in quality, Wilson said Sabah would be determined to make an impact after navigating four qualifying rounds.

"You don't go through four qualifying rounds to just be happy to be there. I think they really will want to get some points. I think being from a smaller association where people don't know too much about them could actually be an opportunity to make the most of that.

"People won't know their style, and if we look at how they fared in the qualifying rounds, sometimes they went in as the underdog but were able to overturn it.

"Maybe if United have control of the game and get comfortable, that's when Sabah could be quite dangerous."

Wilson also revealed an unusual detail about Sabah manager Valdas Dambrauskas, who funded his coaching education after appearing on a TV gameshow.

She explained: "Dambrauskas didn't have a professional playing career but he did go on 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' in Lithuania when he was 25-years-old, I believe. He won 4,000 litas, which is around £1,000. He used that to fund his coaching course in the UK."