Manchester United

Man Utd interim head coach Michael Carrick, speaking to Sky Sports: "Special feeling. You [Gary Neville] know what these kinds of moments mean being involved with the club for so long.

"There is a big role to do and a responsibility and an important one, and I feel that as well. I am ready for that. I am looking forward to it. The boys are ready.

"I am here, and the staff are here to help them, support them and to push them. That was the message. We are all in it together.

"You either thrive and buzz off it. It is so extreme. The extreme when you get it right is incredible, so that is why we're here."

On Harry Maguire starting: "I think experience is important in certain moments. It is not every solution, but it certainly helps in certain moments. It is good to have Harry back.

"Defensively, we want to be as sound as we can be.

"I just think there are certainly things we need to be aware of, and we deal with. It is not about stopping, it is about being progressive. We have got our ideas, and we will see how the game progresses."

On Kobbie Mainoo: "I think Kobbie is a fantastic player, he has huge talent, he has huge ability. He has played in some unbelievable big occasions and coped with it. He has played for the national team in huge games, as well. I am looking forward to seeing him thrive."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at Old Trafford

Image source, Getty Images

A 'leaked' Manchester United team was circulated a couple of hours ago I was dubious about because it did not contain Matheus Cunha or Benjamin Sesko.

It turns out the team was right.

That is a brave call by Michael Carrick for his first team selection.

Sesko scored twice in the last Premier League game at Burnley and Cunha is one of United's most dangerous attacking players even if he didn't show it in last weekend's FA Cup third round defeat by Brighton.

Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo have been badly missed during their absence at the Africa Cup of Nations, so there is logic in Carrick's thinking but I can't imagine Cunha in particular is too impressed.

Manchester United

Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens, speaking to Sky Sports: "I think my first game [against Man City at the Etihad] was indeed pretty special, but it was away, so it is always a bit different. We didn't win as well, so I hope today can be a bit different."

On this week's preparation: "It has been good. It wasn't, of course, the biggest preparation for the game. We have had three days to prepare for the game.

"It is not always the easiest to change some things at such a short notice, but I think the most important part was to make things easier for us, especially tactically and being on the same page.

"Our manager today did that. It is also going to be important to do it on the pitch today – I'm looking forward to it."

Manchester City

Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva, speaking to Sky Sports: "It is definitely a nice place to come, but it is a tough game. It is a derby, we know what it means to both sides, and it is a massive game for us here today.

"We had three draws in the Premier League, so that makes the game even more important for us. We need some of those points back. I would say we are quite stable at the moment even with a few injuries. We have been playing well and we have been consistent.

"We don't know how they're going to play, but the reality is we focus on ourselves. We know that if we play at our level it is also difficult to stop us."

BBC Sounds

Busy this afternoon? You can also get today’s 5 Live Premier League commentaries on the BBC Sounds app and listen on the go.

Or if you‘d like listen via smart speaker, simply say “Play 5 Live” or “Play 5 Sports Extra”.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at Old Trafford

Michael Carrick has made five changes to his first Manchester United starting line-up, bringing back Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo following their return from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko both drop to the bench as Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire are included in a four-man defence, while Casemiro replaces Manuel Ugarte alongside Kobbie Mainoo in midfield.

Joshua Zirkzee is not included in the squad.

Manchester United XI: Lammens, Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Mainoo, Amad, Bruno Fernandes, Dorgu, Mbeumo. Substitutes: Bayindir, Mount, Cunha, Malacia, Yoro, Ugarte, Heaven, Sesko, J Fletcher.

Three changes for Manchester City following Tuesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Newcastle.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rico Lewis and Rodri return, with James Trafford and Nico O’Reilly dropping to the bench while Matheus Nunes is not in Pep Guardiola's squad.

Manchester City XI: Donnarumma, Lewis, Khusanov, Alleyne, Ake, Rodri, Semenyo, Foden, Bernardo Silva, Doku, Haaland. Substitutes: Trafford, Bettinelli, Reijnders, Cherki, Ait-Nouri, O’Reilly, McAidoo, Mukasa, Mfuni.

Rio Ferdinand
Former Man Utd defender on 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

Michael has been my mate since he was 13 or 14 years old. Selfishly I would love Michael Carrick to get the job now until the end of the season, perform brilliantly and they go 'here are the keys to Old Trafford'. That would be the perfect scenario for me.

It would have meant he would have done well and then he goes on to prove himself. It has been done before [with former players] but everyone is different. I do believe if you go in there and do well enough, you earn the opportunity to go on. That’s what football is about. Millions of times it’s been said in the changing room about earning the right to play. It’s the same with management - earn the right to stay in that hot seat. That is what Michael Carrick has to do now.

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

This will be the first time in the history of the fixture that either club has gone into the game with a new boss in charge.

If Michael Carrick's men do go ahead, the five-time title winner will be wary of their inability to hold onto a lead; they have lost 14 points from winning positions this season, a problem that the now-departed Ruben Amorim struggled to address.

The Red Devils, who sit seventh, will also have to contend with the visitors' relentless running power.

Manchester City players have covered more ground than any other team in the division this season, collectively running an average of 115.6 km per game.

Image source, Getty Images

Countless Fantasy Premier League managers will have been sticking by Erling Haaland as their captain and understandably so after scoring 29 goals in 26 appearances this season.

However, he goes into today's game with just one goal - a penalty - in his last six games.

"God bless that we have Erling in our team right now and all of the season," City boss Pep Guardiola said.

"We are fortunate to have him and without him we would not be in the position we are in now.

"He brings a lot and is getting better at many, many things.

"There are a lot of games and it is an incredible period for games. Every three days there is a match, recovery is less with travel, tough conditions, central defenders (who are) tough.

"It is difficult but he'll be back."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at Old Trafford

Gary Neville and Roy Keane are on duty for Sky Sports as part of their match coverage at Old Trafford this afternoon.

That means more opinion on Manchester United, with Keane already making waves around his old club by having a dig at Carrick's wife Lisa over a quickly deleted social media comment she made in response to the Irishman's criticism of her husband 12 years ago.

I felt the idea of bringing in former England boss Steve Holland and Jonathan Woodgate, who includes Real Madrid among his former clubs, is quite astute because they understand what it is like to operate under the fiercest spotlight.

Not that Carrick gave the impression of being too perturbed about it when he spoke to the media yesterday.

"They’re not putting more pressure on me," he said. "I don’t feel that.

"There are plenty of opinions around, some positive, some not too much.

"It’s totally irrelevant in terms of what I focus on.

"There’s a lot that can be said, it’s the way of the world. I’m not going to pay too much attention to that."

What do you think of Michael Carrick's first team pick, Manchester United fans?

Man Utd XI: Lammens, Dalot. Maguire, Martinez, Shaw. Mainoo. Casemiro, Amad, Fernandes, Dorgu, Mbeumo

Subs: Bayindir, Heaven, Malacia, Yoro, J.Fletcher, Mount, Ugarte, Cunha, Sesko.

Man City XI: Donnarumma, Lewis, Khusanov, Alleyne, Ake, Rodrigo, Bernardo, Semenyo, Foden, Doku, Haaland

Subs: Trafford, Bettinelli, Reijnders, Cherki, Ait-Nouri, O’Reilly, McAidoo, Mukasa, Mfuni

Shamoon Hafez
Football news reporter at Old Trafford

Image source, Getty Images

When Pep Guardiola steps out at Old Trafford for the 198th Manchester derby this lunchtime, he will be taking on a sixth different United boss in his near decade-long career in charge at City.

Michael Carrick is the latest man in the Manchester United hotseat, with this his first game since joining as interim head coach after the sacking of Ruben Amorim.

As chaos continues to reign for United, there remains a calmness and serenity on the blue half of the Manchester divide.

Guardiola and his troops will be aiming to collect a league double that will keep them in the hunt for the Premier League title, while Carrick will be hoping to snatch local bragging rights in an otherwise calamitous campaign.

Read the full piece

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at Old Trafford

Michael Carrick's first game in charge of Manchester United couldn't be tougher.

Manchester City represent a significant test and with a trip to Arsenal next Sunday, Carrick has been given a baptism of fire in charge of a side that failed to beat Wolves, Leeds and Burnley in their last three Premier League games.

Carrick uses his programme notes to underline his view of the road ahead.

"The standards at Manchester United must be extremely high," he said.

"Myself and the coaches are here to help the players to reach them.

"I have a great deal of confidence that they will."

Here's what else we've got coming up this afternoon. All are 3pm kick offs apart from Nottingham Forest versus Arsenal, which gets under way at 17:30.

Image source, Getty Images

Hello!

Welcome along to our coverage of today's Premier League action, and there's no better way for it all to begin with a Manchester derby and a new manager in the United dugout.

After that we have six games coming up with leaders Arsenal at Nottingham Forest in the final game of the day.

Image source, Getty Images

There's been quite a few start of a new eras at Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson departed in 2013, and now they are heading on another following Ruben Amorim's departure.

Former player Michael Carrick has taken charge on an interim basis until the end of the season and will be looking to steady the ship and give whoever comes in next the ideal platform to build on.

But with a game against rivals Manchester City first up, starts do not get much harder for Carrick...