Manchester City v Manchester United
| Team Stat Comparison | ||
| Manchester City | Manchester United | |
| Matches Played | 33 | 34 |
| Table Position | 4 | 2 |
| Points | 62 | 73 |
| Goal Difference | 28 | 50 |
| Goals for * | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Goals against * | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| Last 5 | W-W-W-L-W | D-L-W-W-W |
| Last 5 home | W-W-L-D-W | L-W-W-W-W |
| Last 5 away | W-W-D-W-D | D-W-W-L-D |
| * Goals per match - home matches for home club and away matches for away club | ||
| · Club Stats: Manchester City | Manchester United | ||
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With Manchester City flying high, this is as eagerly anticipated a Manchester derby as any in Premier League history.
United have also started strongly and are tied with City on 12 points, having played a match more.
Rio Ferdinand is a major doubt for United.
Ferdinand sat out Tuesday night's Champions League win over Besiktas with a groin injury and Sir Alex Ferguson is not convinced the £29.1m defender will recover in time.
If Ferdinand does miss out, Jonny Evans will retain his place, while Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Fletcher are likely to return as United look to end the Blues' 100 per cent record. Paul Scholes is suspended following his dismissal at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has returned to training following a knee injury but faces a late fitness test to determine whether he can face his former club Manchester United on Sunday at Old Trafford.
The addition of Tevez would be a boost for manager Mark Hughes as Emmanuel Adebayor starts a three-match suspension.
Robinho and Roque Santa Cruz remain sidelined through injury and Craig Bellamy is likely to start as the lone striker.
Man Utd: Foster, Kuszczak, Neville, O'Shea, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Fabio, Valencia, Anderson, Carrick, Fletcher, Gibson, Giggs, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov, Owen.
Man City: Given, Taylor, Richards, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Ohuoha, Bridge, De Jong, Barry, Wright-Phillips, Weiss, Ireland, Bellamy, Tevez, Petrov, Tripper, Sylvinho, Vidal.
