Man City vs Man Utd LIVE: Premier League team news, line-ups and more today

Premier League leaders Liverpool moved four points ahead of Manchester City and ensured their lead would remain in tact following the latest of late winners in their clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

It was a controversial goal following an earlier refereeing error but Darwin Nunez leapt highest in the box to nod home Alexis Mac Allister’s cross and earn Jurgen Klopp’s men a valuable three points.

City are now seeking to close the gap but face a potentially tricky encounter against Manchester United. Though seeming in-and-out of form Erik ten Hag’s men have the capabilities of making things difficult at the Etihad Stadium but they will need to turn up in their best form.

The Red Devils could decide the fate of the Premier League if they take points from City today.

Elsewhere, Arsenal face Sheffield United on Monday night and hope to close the gap on Liverpool as well.

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City must not be distracted by emotions in Sunday’s derby against Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium.

City, who won 3-0 at Old Trafford in October, are second in the Premier League, four places above United and four points behind leaders Liverpool whom they are determined to catch.

Any drop in points could be costly in the title race though today’s encounter may not be as easy as first expected. Though City are unbeaten in 18 games, United have lost only once in this calendar year.

“What I learn from my experience in these types of games is to be more calm, relax, don’t talk about many things,” Guardiola said.

“Just focus on tactics and what you have to do to beat them, not about emotions – because emotions will be there, without doubt.”

Being the more dominant side in Manchester in recent years, and with home advantage, makes Manchester City the odds on favourites to get a win today. Liverpool’s last-ditch winner against Nottingham Forest also adds to the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s men who will hope to continue their fine form with a spanking victory over their city rivals.

United on the other hand could use this match as a stepping stone to end the season on a high. Victory would propel them into the contest for a top four spot though defeat would leave them 11 points adrift of Aston Villa.

Overall though it is difficult to look past the reigning Premier League champions who should cruise to a comfortable victory.

Manchester City 3-1 Manchester United.

Though both managers have injuries in their squads to deal with, the teams should be fairly strong this afternoon. City will have the edge in terms of quality especially as United’s defence looks far from stable.

Here’s how we see the teams lining up today:

Manchester City XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake; Rodri, Stones; Silva, Kovacic, De Bruyne, Foden; Haaland.

Manchester United XI: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Evans, Lindelof; Mainoo, Casemiro; Eriksen, Fernandes, Garnacho, Rashford

Manchester City will be without Jack Grealish, who Pep Guardiola fears will not be back until after the international break later this month.

Erik ten Hag should have an unchanged squad from which to pick, having allayed injury fears around Bruno Fernandes and Raphael Varane by declaring both fit to feature. Tyrell Malacia, Anthony Martial, Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are all unavailable, while Rasmus Hojlund will be back later in March from a muscular problem.

The Manchester derby will kick off at 3.30pm GMT on Sunday 3 March at the Etihad Stadium.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on the channels from 3pm. Subscribers can also stream the action via Sky Go.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.

ver the past few months, Jean-Claude Blanc has kept a line of dialogue open with Zinedine Zidane. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos and Blanc, the chief executive of its sports arm, have long been admirers of the former Real Madrid manager. That level of Champions League success is naturally what Ineos is aspiring to at Manchester United.

This isn’t to say that Zidane is set to take over at Old Trafford in the summer, but it is a connection the group is naturally keeping open.