It’s the Manchester derby again; the rising of the blue moon against the daredevils from next door; sleek football against confusing counterattacks; the battle of bald gaffers and old acquaintances; it’s Manchester City against Manchester United at the Etihad.

The beautiful game will climax for the weekend at Manchester City’s ground. After watching Liverpool snatch all three points from the jaws of Nottingham Forest at the death on Saturday, it becomes impossible for the City to contemplate dropping points.

Manchester United isn’t exactly under pressure here; it’s bragging rights for them, and no one will be surprised if they take a real hammering. They’re not favorites to win here, and it’s not a surprise. They’ve been the second-best team in Manchester for a decade now; it is what it is.

Form is usually useless on days like this, but both clubs head into this fixture off the back of cup wins. The champions hammered Luton 6-2 to advance into the last eight of the FA Cup, while Manchester United had to leave it late against Forest to win 1-0.

United’s league form was tainted last weekend by a last-gasp Alex Iwobi goal, ending their winning streak and throwing their top-four quest under the bus. Aston Villa’s win at Luton on Saturday means United now have eleven points to usurp if they want to break into the top four. It’s a huge mountain now.

Rasmus Hojlund is still unavailable, Luke Shaw’s season is believed to be over, and Lisandro Martinez isn’t expected back soon. United could use some good news from the treatment table, with Tyrel Malacia and Mason Mount both back in training, but neither will feature against City anyway.

Manchester City has a fit squad; Jack Grealish is the only one unavailable for this game, which means you can expect a full-strength line-up on Sunday. Kevin De Bruyne assisted Erling Haaland four times, with the big Norwegian scoring five against Luton on Tuesday. That’s a lot of worry for United already.

Manchester United will sit back to counter; they will defend deep, but Jeremy Doku up against Diogo Dalot or Sofyan Amrabat on either side of the defense is scary to think about. Haaland up against Johnny Evans is another battle to relish.

United isn’t expected to win this, but they have shocked City quite some times in the past. With Arsenal breathing down the necks of the champions in third, only a win will guarantee they stay second at the end of this game round.

Verdict: City to win.