PREVIEW: Carrick returns to Man United helm to face rivals City at Old Trafford | OneFootball

Michael Carrick will lead Manchester United into Saturday’s derby match against Manchester City in his second stint as caretaker manager at Old Trafford.

His appointment comes eight days after Ruben Amorim’s dismissal, with the Red Devils limping to just one win in their last five, coming against Newcastle back in December.

The 44-year-old last took the helm in 2021 following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and has now returned to take over from Darren Fletcher.

United head into the clash seventh after consecutive draws against Burnley and Leeds, on the back of a 2–1 FA Cup defeat at home to Brighton, seeking to avenge the heavy 3–0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium when the sides last met in September.

The home side will be boosted by the return of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, both back after their Cameroon and the Ivory Coast were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Matthijs de Ligt is sidelined with a back injury, while Noussair Mazraoui remains unavailable due to his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

Shea Lacey is unavailable after being shown two yellow cards late in the second half of the loss to Brighton.

The former Middlesborough manager faces a demanding run of fixtures following their highly anticipated battle against City, with Arsenal, Fulham, and Spurs on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Man City arrive at Old Trafford on the back of a ruthless 10–1 FA Cup victory over Exeter and a 2–0 win against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.

The Citizens are unbeaten in the Premier League since suffering a 2-1 loss to Eddie Howe’s side in November, and sit six points adrift of leaders Arsenal in second.

Pep Guardiola is set to be without five first-team players, with Mateo Kovačić, Joško Gvardiol, John Stones, Rúben Dias and Oscar Bobb all sidelined through injury.

The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League with a kickoff time of 12:30