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There has been a surprising amount of royal rhetoric in the lead-up to the opening Manchester derby of the 2026–27 campaign.
Elliot Anderson stirred controversy when he referred to Manchester City as the "kings of Manchester" following his record-breaking move earlier this summer. The English midfielder stood firmly by that claim ahead of Sunday's showdown between the two northern powerhouses.
Manchester United have traditionally held that distinction as the most decorated club in Premier League history. Yet it has now been 13 years since their last top-flight championship—a significant gap during which City have claimed the title on seven separate occasions.
Michael Carrick was a member of that last United squad to lift the most coveted piece of domestic silverware and acknowledged that the landscape had shifted. "We are humble enough and realistic enough to know where we have come from in recent history," the Red Devils manager reluctantly conceded.
Building a lasting dynasty takes decades, but any side can claim the crown for a day with a derby victory.
Marcus Rashford Comes Full Circle Against Man City
During the first Manchester derby of the 2024–25 season, Rashford was controversially left out of the squad altogether by Ruben Amorim. That decision marked the beginning of a bitter falling-out between the beloved academy product and the struggling manager, resulting in the lifelong United supporter being frozen out for nearly two years.
Rashford was compelled to seek playing time on loan at Aston Villa—where he netted against Manchester City—before enjoying a productive spell at Barcelona. Now back at Old Trafford under the guidance of former teammate Carrick, the 28-year-old has been handed another opportunity to face City.
The proud Mancunian, who grew up in a family split between red and blue allegiances, has scored seven goals against City in 23 appearances. Only Leicester have conceded more often to Rashford throughout his career.
However, the left winger's prospects of adding to that record were hampered by the unavoidable absence of Luke Shaw, his usual partner along the left side.
Confirmed Man Utd Lineup vs. Man City
Starting XI: Senne Lammens; Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez, Patrick Dorgu; Kobbie Mainoo, Youri Tielemans; Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Matheus Cunha.
Substitutes: Karl Darlow (GK), Ayden Heaven, Mason Mount, Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Andrey Santos, Noussair Mazraoui, Shea Lacey, Benjamin Šeško.
Enzo Maresca Names Maiden Derby XI
Although this marks Enzo Maresca's first Manchester derby as head coach, he served as Pep Guardiola's assistant for three of these fixtures during City's historic treble-winning 2022–23 season. City claimed victory at Old Trafford that year, storming to a 6–3 win courtesy of hat-tricks from both Erling Haaland and Phil Foden.
There was little question of Haaland starting on Sunday—even with Maresca intending to manage the new father's workload later in the campaign—and Foden also secured his place in the starting lineup.
As a homegrown City supporter, Foden frequently produces his finest performances on derby occasions. "The feeling for him is probably different to the rest of the players," Maresca acknowledged. "It's normal. For him, it's a different game."
Confirmed Man City Lineup vs. Man Utd
Starting XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Marc Guéhi, Joško Gvardiol; Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernández; Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo; Erling Haaland.
Substitutes: Gerónimo Rulli (GK), Abdukodir Khusanov, Iliman Ndiaye, Allan, Rico Lewis, Nico O'Reilly, Mateo Kovačić, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Vitor Reis.