Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim are in same position ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby

You have to go back nearly five years for the last time Manchester United were above local rivals Manchester City in the Premier League heading into the derby.

Back in December 2020, the two sides played out a drab goalless draw behind closed doors at Old Trafford, with the world still coming to terms with the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The stalemate saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United remain seventh, a point and a place above Pep Guardiola's side, although the Blues would go on to win the title, with the Red Devils claiming second spot.

What both sides would give for a return to the form that saw them claim those two positions? Heading into Sunday's derby at the Etihad Stadium, City are languishing in unfamiliar territory, down in 13th place, while United – who finished 15th last season – find themselves in ninth spot.

Neither side has impressed at the start of the new campaign, United earning a solitary win from their opening three league fixtures, against newly-promoted Burnley, as well as suffering a humiliating EFL Cup exit to League Two Grimsby.

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City, also in transition like United, have endured an even worse start. An opening 4-0 win at Wolves - an outlier given how wretched Vitor Pereira's side are – was followed by successive defeats to Tottenham and Brighton, leaving Guardiola's side already six points behind champions and league leaders Liverpool.

Against that backdrop, expectations on both sides of Manchester's football divide are understandably low ahead of Sunday's derby, with neither team going into the encounter with any semblance of form or confidence. United may have gone into the international break on the back of a 3-2 win against the Clarets, but they twice threw away the lead and needed a controversial 97th-minute penalty from captain Bruno Fernandes to secure three vital points.

Despite spending £230million in the summer on forward Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, defender Diego Leon and goalkeeper Senne Lammens, United remain a work in progress under Ruben Amorim, who always seems one defeat away from a major crisis that calls his position into question.

Having brought City unprecedented success in his near decade-long tenure, Guardiola has no such concerns over his position, but he badly needs a win on Sunday to quell talk of a crisis in the Blue half of Manchester, after a summer of major departures, including Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and goalkeeper Ederson.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Sunday's derby will be between the posts for both teams. Gianluigi Donnarumma, a £26m replacement for Ederson, will make his debut in goal for City, but for United, the identity of their first-choice goalkeeper remains far from certain.

With Andre Onana on his way to Trabzonspor on a season-long loan, it leaves Altay Bayindir and new arrival Lammens to fight it out for the No.1 spot at United. While £18.2m new arrival Lammens is clearly United's long-term No.1, Amorim is likely to stick with Bayindir on Sunday, given he will know what to expect with his greater experience.

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Both sides are also without key players, which could have a major impact on the quality of the game. City are missing Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush and Mateo Kovacic, while there are doubts over Phil Foden and John Stones, Savinho, Abdukodir Kushanov and Josko Gvardiol. United are without Cunha, Mason Mount and Diogo Dalot,meaning a reshuffle in defence and attack for Amorim.

Curiously, City's only win in their last four meetings with United was a penalty shoot-out victory in last season's Community Shield. A goalless draw back in April was preceded by a 2-1 smash-and-grab win for Amorim's side last December, while Erik ten Hag won the FA Cup by the same scoreline against City in May 2024.

For Guardiola and Amorim, Sunday is a game neither can afford to lose, which is why a cagey draw seems the most likely outcome, one that would give no further indicator as to how the two Manchester clubs will fare this season.

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