The first Manchester derby of 2026 27 lands at an odd moment for both clubs. United sit 11th after three Premier League matches, having managed just a win and a draw either side of an opening day loss, while City have nine points from three wins and sit top. Both clubs replaced their managers over the summer, meaning neither Carrick nor Maresca has faced the other in a competitive match, let alone in a derby.
This is the first meeting of any kind between Michael Carrick and Enzo Maresca as head coaches. Carrick was appointed permanently on 22 May 2026, replacing Ruben Amorim, while Maresca took charge at City on 29 June following Pep Guardiola's departure.
United's opening three league games produced an opening day defeat, a 5-2 win over Ipswich and a 2-2 draw with Everton, though a 4-0 Champions League win over Sabah in between offered a cleaner result. City have been more convincing: Palace 4-1, Bournemouth 2-1, Coventry 1-0 in the league, plus a 2-0 win over Porto in Europe on 8 September.
United are without Carlos Baleba (ankle), Amad Diallo (muscle), Matthijs de Ligt (back) and Manuel Ugarte (ACL). Losing de Ligt and Ugarte together is particularly awkward for a derby, since Ugarte's defensive cover and de Ligt's aerial ability are exactly what you would want against a team with Haaland leading the line. City are missing Nico O'Reilly (back) and Jerémy Doku (calf), whose absence removes their most consistent wide threat - Doku takes on full backs at pace in one on one situations in a way no other City winger does as naturally.
Both sides are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1. Bruno Fernandes sets the tempo for United in the final third, dropping into pockets between City's midfield lines to receive and turn, while Marcus Rashford is expected to return after a rest and will look to run in behind City's high defensive line on the left channel. Matheus Cunha rotates across the front three and, in transition, those two are the most likely sources of danger. City's shape carries a clear Guardiola imprint under Maresca: Haaland has scored three times in three league games and will look to exploit the space behind United's makeshift centre back pairing, with Enzo Fernandez carrying the ball from deep and dictating the tempo of their build up. Without Doku, City will lean more heavily on Haaland's hold up work and Fernandez's distribution to create openings through the middle.
Whether Rashford can get in behind City's right sided defender will probably determine how dangerous United look in transition, while Haaland against a centre back pairing already missing both de Ligt and Ugarte is the mismatch City will target all afternoon. Carrick will look to control the first phase of build up and spring attacks through Fernandes, knowing a derby win would give his permanent tenure real credibility. Maresca's City will look to pin United into their own half and build through Fernandez from deep, protecting a 100% record while adjusting to life without Doku.
Across roughly 198 meetings, United hold a slight historical edge, with around 81 wins to City's 62. The most recent league encounter, in January 2026, ended 2-0 to United at Old Trafford during Carrick's interim spell.
Set piece defending is a real concern for United given their absentees. City will target set pieces knowing neither replacement centre back replicates de Ligt's dominance in the air and Ugarte's absence compounds the problem by stripping United of the player who would usually organise the defensive structure around him. Without Doku's runs in behind, Cherki's role shifts, though Maresca has not yet shown publicly how he intends to cover that.
Both clubs' incentives are clear: City want to protect their 100% start, United want a home win that would lift them from mid table and give Carrick's tenure some early credibility.
City to win 2-1. Three wins from three give City grounds to approach this as the stronger side and the squad depth makes O'Reilly and Doku's absences manageable, with Haaland against United's depleted back line the clearest mismatch on the pitch. United's absentees make a clean sheet unlikely but Fernandes and Rashford give them enough to score, as the 5-2 against Ipswich showed, though losing Baleba, Diallo, de Ligt and Ugarte together makes it hard to see them holding City out at the other end.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
