Manchester United vs. Manchester City: Derby News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Two of English football's titans are set to collide on Sunday, when Premier League leaders Manchester City travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in a derby collision between first and second in the standings.

The Citizens make the short trip to the Theatre of Dreams with an eight-point advantage over their most heated rivals, but a home win on Sunday would see that reeled in to a more manageable amount.

Pep Guardiola's side lost on their last trip to Old Trafford—a 1-0 fourth-round defeat to eventual Carabao Cup winners United in October 2016—but triumphed 2-1 over the Red Devils in the Premier League a month earlier.

After several years of City taking the upper hand in the Manchester derby, United have again looked the more powerful party in recent years and have lost just one of their past six meetings against their city rivals.

Read on for a preview of Sunday's must-watch matchup, complete with team news, live-stream information and a preview.

Date: Sunday, December 10

Time: 4:30 p.m. GMT/11:30 a.m. ET

Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester

Live Stream: Sky Go app (UK), NBC Live Extra (U.S.), fuboTV (U.S.)

TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), NBCSN (U.S.)

Team News

The biggest player guaranteed to be missing from either teamsheet on Sunday is Paul Pogba, the mercurial midfielder whose straight red card in Dec. 2's 3-1 win at Arsenal robbed United of arguably their most important asset.

City's midfield ranks as the most talented section of a world-class squad, and although Pogba won't be around to attempt containing it, he made sure to send his eligible comrades a message of support, as Goal noted:

Not long after Pogba's absence was confirmed, Guardiola hinted a midfield gem of his own, David Silva, might not be fit to participate. United boss Jose Mourinho saw this as little more than mind games, however, and gave a comprehensive breakdown of his team's injury woes, per the Telegraph's John Percy:

"When we have a problem, we have a problem. When players are injured, they are injured. I tell you the truth. The truth is Eric Bailly has no chance for the weekend, Phil Jones a chance, [Marouane] Fellaini a chance, Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] a big chance and [Nemanja] Matic is injured but will play for sure. [Michael] Carrick, no chance. 

"No stories of Lacazette or David Silva. All the truth. Our opponents have all these issues. They have a big issue but, in the end, everybody is ready to play. They have phenomenal organisations. We are a bit more humble."

Mourinho's reference to Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette related to Gunners boss Arsene Wenger's insistence the Frenchman would not play against United before starting the frontman.

Former Chelsea and Everton winger Pat Nevin broke down the potential impact of Silva's absence during a recent appearance on BBC 5 live Sport:

Yaya Toure and Bernardo Silva would be among the favourites to replace Silva should the Spaniard miss out, although Ilkay Gundogan would be the most obvious replacement despite having yet to play 90 minutes of Premier League football this season.

Centre-back John Stones remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, per BBC Sport, while left-back Benjamin Mendy continues his recovery from the serious knee injury he suffered at the start of the season.

Preview

An intriguing tactical war awaits the Red Devils at Old Trafford in Week 16—not just because of the standard of opposition but also because of the fact a much-needed win means sitting back isn't an option for Mourinho's side.

The Portuguese chief has a reputation for pulling his defences back against his higher-placed peers, but Pogba left little imagination as to how he would tackle Sunday's clash were he playing:

Guardiola's visitors can afford to sit back to an extent, but that's an unlikely strategy for a manager chasing an unbeaten domestic season with arguably the best team in Europe.

City lost their first game of the campaign on Wednesday, a UEFA Champions League defeat at Shakhtar Donetsk, which brought to an end to their terrifying streak:

While United have major headliners of their own in the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David De Gea, one could argue City are stronger in quality across the board and rely less on individual parts.

Pogba's absence could have a critical impact on United's midfield sway and therefore the match, although one player's absence will not dampen the hosts' fight.