Man Utd vs Man City (7:30 PM, January 17th): The ultimate challenge for Michael Carrick

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Michael Carrick faces a high-pressure debut as Man Utd clashes with Man City in the 198th Manchester derby. The contrasting form and head-to-head history make the match at Old Trafford highly unpredictable.

Manchester United's new interim manager, Michael Carrick, will face a tough debut when the Red Devils host city rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford on the evening of January 17th, in the 198th Manchester derby. This is predicted to be a fiery clash, a stark contrast to the dull 0-0 draw between the two teams last April.

Eight days after sacking Ruben Amorim, Manchester United have officially appointed former captain Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season. This is the 44-year-old's second stint in charge at Old Trafford, following an impressive three-match stint in November-December 2021 (two wins, one draw).

Carrick has been tasked with managing Man Utd until the end of the season (Photo: Getty).

Carrick returned to the coaching bench seven months after being sacked by Middlesbrough, where he had a 46.3% win rate in 136 games in charge. He took over a Manchester United team currently sitting seventh in the Premier League table, just three points behind the top four despite winning only one of their last six games (one win, four draws, one loss).

A disappointing run of three goalless draws against Wolves, Leeds and Burnley, coupled with a 1-2 home defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup third round last weekend (Darren Fletcher's final game as interim manager), has left Man Utd with only 40 games to play this season, making it their shortest season since 1914-15.

Making an immediate impact in two consecutive matches against Man City and league leaders Arsenal promises to be a major challenge for Carrick. Before facing Man City, Man Utd lost 0-3 in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium back in September. Notably, they haven't failed to score in both league matches against Man City since the 1973-74 season, the season in which they were relegated.

Man Utd have also failed to score in four of their last five home Premier League matches against Man City, including the last two consecutive games. They haven't gone three consecutive home games without scoring against Man City since a four-game streak between December 1911 and September 1914.

Carrick faced many challenges when managing Man Utd (Photo: Getty).

Man City's response after a disappointing start to 2026 with three draws in the Premier League was a crushing 10-1 thrashing of Exeter City in the FA Cup third round last weekend, before securing a crucial 2-0 away win against reigning League Cup champions Newcastle United in the first leg of the semi-final midweek.

New signing Antoine Semenyo has integrated perfectly into Pep Guardiola's squad after his £64 million transfer from Bournemouth, scoring two goals and winning Man of the Match in both of his appearances. This has helped Man City take another step towards the domestic title this season.

Man City are currently on a 13-match unbeaten run across all competitions (10 wins, 3 draws) and are unbeaten in their last 9 Premier League matches at this stage (6 wins, 3 draws). Despite their impressive form, Guardiola's team still face a difficult task: closing the 6-point gap with league leaders and title rivals Arsenal with 17 rounds remaining in the season.

Guardiola is currently the longest-serving manager in the Premier League (9 years and 199 days) and is preparing for his 31st Manchester derby as manager of Man City. In his managerial career, he has only suffered more defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham (10 matches each) than against Man United (9 matches).

Antoine Semenyo quickly integrated into his new team (Photo: Getty)

Nevertheless, Man City fans can rest assured knowing their team has won more away Premier League matches against Man Utd than any other team (9 matches), while only Liverpool (41 goals) have scored more goals at Old Trafford than Man City (37 goals).

Team information

Man Utd are struggling with significant absences as Noussair Mazraoui is out for AFCON, while centre-back Matthijs de Ligt is sidelined with a back injury. Young striker Shea Lacey is also suspended after receiving a red card in last weekend's FA Cup defeat to Brighton.

However, manager Carrick can breathe a sigh of relief as he welcomes back attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo after their exclusion from AFCON. Mbeumo, the Red Devils' top scorer this season with 7 goals, is likely to start on the right wing.

Bryan Mbeumo is ready to return to Manchester United (Photo: Getty).

With his familiar four-defender formation, Carrick faces a difficult choice. The left-back position is a competition between Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu. In midfield, Kobbie Mainoo is hoping for his first Premier League start of the season, beating competition from Manuel Ugarte and Mason Mount.

Captain Bruno Fernandes remains a bright spot for the Red Devils. Since the beginning of November, he has been directly involved in 10 goals (3 goals, 7 assists), second only to Erling Haaland (12) and Igor Thiago (11). Fernandes also leads the league in the number of chances created (56), passes that break through defenses (17) and passes that break through defenses leading to shots (30).

On the Man City side, the injury list is quite long with Josko Gvardiol (tibial fracture), Ruben Dias (hamstring), John Stones (thigh), Mateo Kovacic (ankle/heel), Savinho (unknown) and Oscar Bobb (hamstring). Omar Marmoush is still on duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Nico Gonzalez's participation is uncertain.

Antoine Semenyo, who has scored three goals in his last four appearances against Man Utd, is a strong candidate for a starting spot in attack. The return of playmaker Rayan Cherki, who also scored midweek, could force Jeremy Doku to give way.

Man Utd has become Haaland's favorite opponent (Photo: Getty).

Cherki is likely to be deployed further up the pitch alongside Phil Foden, who has scored 7 goals against Man Utd in the Premier League. Erling Haaland remains the biggest threat, with the Norwegian striker directly involved in 11 goals (8 goals, 3 assists) against the Red Devils, more than any other Man City player.

In defense, Max Alleyne, who has won 92% of his duels this season (12/13) and won all 6 of his aerial duels, could continue to be given a starting opportunity alongside Abdukodir Khusanov.

Expected starting lineup

Man Utd : Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko.

Man City : Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Alleyne, O'Reilly; Rodri; Bernardo, Cherki, Foden, Semenyo; Haaland.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/man-utd-man-city-19h30-171-thu-thach-cuc-dai-with-michael-carrick-20260117095218279.htm