Manchester United full-back, Diogo Dalot, has been ruled out with the hamstring injury sustained in the Carabao Cup quarter-final win against Charlton Athletic, while Anthony Martial will be assessed due to a leg issue.
New signing Wout Weghorst will not be registered in time to feature.
Manchester City have no new injury concerns for the trip to Old Trafford.
John Stones remains out after he missed the Carabao Cup defeat at Southampton due to doubts over his fitness levels.
Manchester United have really improved under Erik ten Hag, and I don’t think he gets enough credit for their progress since the start of the season.
There is something not quite right about Manchester City, who have not been firing on all cylinders since the season resumed after the World Cup. But they are expected to win.
Some City players like Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker look out of form, and even Kevin de Bruyne has been below his best, but part of their problem is down to what is known as ‘Pep Roulette’ – Pep Guardiola’s ever-changing team selections.
He gambled in the Carabao Cup against Southampton on Wednesday, when Kalvin Phillips came into midfield for his first start, and it didn’t pay off.
Guardiola says he has had some “ridiculous” ideas about how his side will beat United, but I am pretty sure it will include giving Erling Haaland a start. He will play his best side and, if they perform anything like they can do, they will win – it’s as simple as that.
On head-to-head, Manchester City’s 6-3 Premier League win against Manchester United in October set a record for most goals in this fixture.
United have lost the last three league meetings. A fourth in a row would equal the club Premier League record for defeats against the same opponent, set against Liverpool in 2002 and City in 2014.
City have won nine of their past 14 visits to Old Trafford in all competitions, directly following a run of one victory in 32 attempts.
United could go four successive home games without scoring against City for just the second time, and first since 1914.
The Red Devils have not dropped points from a winning position in a Manchester derby since a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in September 2005.
A ninth successive victory in all competitions would equal their longest winning streak since Alex Ferguson retired as manager.
Manchester United have earned an unsurpassed 35 points in the Premier League since beating Liverpool on 22 August.
United are the only team to have won all Premier League matches they have led in this season, doing so 11 times.
They can win five successive league games for the first time since April 2021. That run included a 2-0 victory at Manchester City.
