Manchester United XI vs Man City: Predicted lineup, confirmed team news, injury latest for Premier League derby

Read the original at Evening Standard ↗
Cite

Flood, G. (2026, September 13). Manchester United XI vs Man City: Predicted lineup, confirmed team news, injury latest for Premier League derby. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/man-utd-xi-vs-man-city-predicted-lineup-confirmed-team-news-injury-latest-premier-league-2026-today-b1296598.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Evening Standard · collected 2026-09-13 · by George Flood

Quick Summary

Manchester United faces Manchester City in an early-season Premier League derby with several lineup questions for interim manager Michael Carrick. Benjamin Sesko, recently recovered from injury, may start as the main striker after scoring twice in recent matches. The article details potential starting lineups and provides updates on player fitness, including injured players like Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt.
Written by AI on 2026-09-13, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On Sunday September 13, 2026, Manchester United will face Manchester City in a Premier League derby at Old Trafford. Manchester United has had a disappointing start to the season, losing to Hull and drawing with Everton after leading twice. Key players like Amad, De Ligt, Ugarte, and Heaton are injured, while Shaw and Baleba are doubts for the match. In contrast, Man City is unbeaten in all competitions this term, led by Enzo Maresca. Benjamin Sesko, who has recently scored goals against Everton and Sabah after recovering from a shin injury, may start as United's focal point up front. The biggest question for Manchester United manager Carrick will be how to effectively attack City’s defense.

Written for “Manchester Derby Lineup News” on 2026-10-28, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Manchester Derby Lineup News
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 27% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
BBC News
Hedges 1 of 28 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different matches between Man United and Man City; Article A discusses a Premier League match, while Article B focuses on a Carabao Cup match where Floyd Samba scored two goals.”
Al Jazeera
Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A discusses predictions and news leading up to a Manchester United vs. Man City match, while Article B reports on Enzo Maresca's post-match comments about VAR following an actual 1-0 victory in the derby.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 16 claims Outlet record 65/100
“Article A discusses team news and lineup predictions for a future match between Manchester United and Man City, while Article B reports on an actual past match where Carrick made a substitution decision.”
Al Jazeera
Hedges 1 of 31 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss the upcoming Manchester United vs. Manchester City match, Article A provides general predictions and lineups, while Article B focuses on the buildup and team news leading up to the match but includes details of previous games that are not part of the same specific event.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 12 claims Outlet record 65/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Manchester City's activities; one focuses on their lineup for a match against Manchester United, while the other discusses recent transfers and performance in a past match.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
11
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
27%
3 of 11 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
65/100
Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-13 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Evening Standard · 7489 article(s) · 62 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 62 correction(s)

Who wrote this

George Flood
111 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
🔮 We will know soon enough.” Potential return date: Unknown, pending further assessment Emi Martinez Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper was hurt during a sickening accidental clash of heads that occurred during the second half of last weekend’s hard-fought 2-0 win at Everton.
🔮 Arsenal could reportedly be without Bukayo Saka for up to eight weeks with a quadriceps injury suffered against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, while the Everton game came too soon for fellow winger Christos Tzolis, who has been out for three weeks with a hamstring problem picked up while playing for Greece in the Nations League.
🔮 Joao Pedro is expected to undergo a scan on Sunday, after which a fuller picture will emerge in terms of how much time he is set to miss.
🔮 Both teams are building some momentum after stuttering starts to the season, though the Blues will have to cope with the shock absence of Joao Pedro through injury as Geovany Quenda makes his first start for the club along with Mike Penders.
🔮 Another win today would make it a record-breaking seventh in a row against their north London foes.
🔮 Though the club insist it is business as usual and that Carrick will remain in charge for Sunday’s home fixture against Bournemouth in the Premier League, there have been multiple reports that replacement candidates are already being sounded out.
🔮 Chelsea and Liverpool have received a new message in the race for Alex Scott, while Manchester United could overhaul their defensive options as they go back in for Lewis Hall, Adrien Truffert and Jarrad Branthwaite.
🔮 Liverpool legend Carragher slammed Martinez for those comments and has now done likewise with Fernandes, insisting he is the reason that United cannot press as they would like and that he would never have won his player of the year awards last season without Carrick.
🔮 Julian Nagelsmann, Antonio Conte, Fabian Hurzeler and Eddie Howe could all be in the running to replace him.
Also by George Flood
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 111 articles by George Flood →

Topics

City Everton Premier League Sabah United

Subjects

City ORG · 3× United ORG · 3× Everton ORG · 2× Sabah ORG · 2× Sesko PERSON · 2× Shaw PERSON · 2× Hull ORG · 1× Ipswich GPE · 1× Man Utd ORG · 1× Premier League ORG · 1×

Narrative

Manuel Ugarte is a long-term absentee following surgery on a cruciate ligament injury sustained at the World Cup, while third-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton is still nursing a hamstring problem. Injured: Amad, De Ligt, Ugarte, Heaton Doubts: Shaw, Baleba Time and date: 4.30pm BST on Sunday September 13, 2026 Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester How to watch: Sky Sports
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-13
🔮 What to do in the final third will be the biggest question mark facing Carrick for an early-season derby against the so-called ‘noisy neighbours’, to coin a famous Sir Alex Ferguson phrase, who are led by Enzo Maresca in this fixture for the first time and have won all four of their matches across all competitions so far this term.

Claims (11 extracted, 3 hedged)

That followed what has been a largely disappointing start to the new Premier League season, with Man Utd brushed aside in shock fashion by newly-promoted Hull on opening day before a 5-2 thrashing of Ipswich was followed by a lively 2-2 draw at Everton in which they led twice but conceded a stunning last-gasp equaliser courtesy of Ainsley Maitland-Niles. asserted
they → follow → Niles
What to do in the final third will be the biggest question mark facing Carrick for an early-season derby against the so-called ‘noisy neighbours’, to coin a famous Sir Alex Ferguson phrase, who are led by Enzo Maresca in this fixture for the first time and have won all four of their matches across all competitions so far this term. asserted
who → face → competitions
Now recovered from a lingering shin injury that curtailed his 2025/26 campaign and saw him play no part in pre-season, Benjamin Sesko has given his manager serious food for thought over the last week after following up his smart late header at Everton with another goal on his first start since May against Sabah. uncertain
Sesko → recover → Sabah
The Slovenian international may well retain his place against City as a much-needed focal point up front, while influential captain Bruno Fernandes is guaranteed to start as the No10 as Bryan Mbeumo attacks off the right flank. uncertain
Mbeumo → retain → flank
Matheus Cunha vs Marcus Rashford appears to be the battle for the starting job on the left if Sesko stays in, though it could be that Patrick Dorgu actually moves forward into the position after acing his left-back audition against Sabah in the absence of Luke Shaw, with United likely to need his defensive contributions against City’s rampant attack. uncertain
United → appear → attack
That would require Shaw to prove his fitness after missing out entirely in the Champions League, where Dorgu, Noussair Mazraoui and Leny Yoro all came into the backline and Rashford made way for Sesko further forward, with Cunha switching from striker to the left-hand side. asserted
Cunha → require → side
Diogo Dalot and Harry Maguire should both return to the United ranks against City, with Lisandro Martinez also in central defence and Senne Lammens in goal. asserted
Dalot → return → goal
The midfield pairing of Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans should remain, with the former having played only 64 minutes on Thursday and the latter replaced at half-time - not due to injury - by Mason Mount, who reaffirmed his own fitness. asserted
who → remain → fitness
The game is likely to come too soon for £70million summer signing Carlos Baleba, who is still awaiting his United debut after suffering an ankle ligament injury during pre-season at Brighton. asserted
who → come → Brighton
Amad Diallo remains sidelined with his own ankle issue, while Matthijs de Ligt is still building up his fitness after a long-term back injury that belatedly required surgery and has kept him out completely since last November. asserted
that → remain → November
Manuel Ugarte is a long-term absentee following surgery on a cruciate ligament injury sustained at the World Cup, while third-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton is still nursing a hamstring problem. Injured: Amad, De Ligt, Ugarte, Heaton Doubts: Shaw, Baleba Time and date: 4.30pm BST on Sunday September 13, 2026 Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester How to watch: Sky Sports asserted
Heaton → follow → Sunday
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support