On a weekend of derby games perhaps the highest stake encounter comes on Sunday as Manchester City welcome a somewhat resurgent Manchester United to the Etihad Stadium. Scarcely more than a month ago the talk was of crisis at Old Trafford but that has firmly abated after a four game winning streak for Erik ten Hag’s side which includes victories against rivals Liverpool and Arsenal.
City will surely pose the stiffest test yet for United, they may not be top of the table but Pep Guardiola’s side look to be runaway favorites for the Premier League crown with Erling Haaland shaped up to the best player in England. No stage has fazed him so far and he will surely relish the chance to make his mark on one of England’s biggest games. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
How to watch Manchester City Vs Manchester United Live
Date: Sunday, Oct. 2 | Time: 9 a.m. ET
Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
TV Channels/Live stream: Sky Sports Ultra HD, Sky Sports Premier League, and Sky Sports Main Event will each have the game in the UK, with Sky Go providing the live streaming service.
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Manchester City
There are few center backs who would tower over Haaland but there are not many who will give up quite as much in size to him as Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, the 5ft 9in center back whose arrival in England immediately brought questions from the likes of Jamie Carragher. The Argentine has addressed them to some extent with his aggressive play on the pitch but surely City will be tempted to test the height difference between the two by firing crosses towards their No.9.
“Erling is taller, that’s for sure,” noted Guardiola, who as the manager of a Barcelona side built around the talents of Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta was never one to discriminate based on height. “I like when people underestimate players for the size. [Martinez] can tell them I’m here and a good player.
“He’s a fantastic player, aggressive, good build-up. United paid this money, Erik knows him. It’s not the first time he’s played against taller strikers, he handles it. It is important to be intelligent, brave. The crosses, Erling is taller, we will see what happens.”
Manchester United
As Ten Hag welcomes the fit again Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial into his side he might still wonder what might have been if he had stayed at Ajax a while longer. After all the Dutchman was often linked with City as a possible successor for Guardiola, something the man himself has acknowledged to be the case.
That ship has sailed for Ten Hag, however, who has taken on the far greater task of reviving Manchester’s fallen giant. “That’s a nice compliment, first,” he said when he was told that Guardiola had spoken of him as a possible option in April. “But I choose, 100 percent convinced Manchester United, with everything in it. I didn’t regret it for one second.” Whether that will still be true after 90 minutes against City, only Ten Hag will know.