The second Manchester derby of the season sees United heading into this weekend’s match in much the better form than the defending Premier League champions.

Louis van Gaal’s side have won five straight and eight of their last 10 in the league, whilst Manchester City have lost three of their last four in all competitions. The Red Devils also start the weekend ahead of their noisy neighbours.

Victory for the home side this weekend would see come close to securing a top four finish whilst putting their heavily-invested rivals in some doubt over qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League themselves.

Team News

Manchester United

Chris Smalling still remains a doubt after picking up an illness in Italy more than a week ago. Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo played in the middle of the United defence in beating Aston Villa 3-1 last weekend. Jonny Evans is still suspended.

Robin van Persie is the only other absentee for the Dutch manager – Wayne Rooney has been playing as a sole striker in his absence.

Manchester City

Manuel Pellegrini doesn’t have too many problems with absentees, except that a lot of his players appear to have been on holiday in their minds in recent weeks. The Chilean manager has a full squad to pick from to face their local rivals.

Predicted Lineups

Louis van Gaal has a largely settled side now who are on a good streak. Antonio Valencia is a weak point at right-back and Juan Mata isn’t the best defensive midfielder on that side either. Marouane Fellaini versus Yaya Touré should be a good physical battle in midfield. The Belgian’s forward runs could occupy Vincent Kompany to potentially give Wayne Rooney some freedom in and around the penalty area.

Not a great deal of surprises in the Manchester City lineup either. Samir Nasri was on the bench on Monday night and we think he’ll remain there with James Milner starting on the right – Jesús Navas is pretty unproductive out there but potentially his pace versus Daley Blind could be a threat. Sergio Agüero has gone eight and a half hours without a goal in all competitions, could be partnered with Wilfried Bony this weekend as Edin Džeko failed to make an impact once again on Monday.

Key Matchups

Wayne Rooney vs Eliaquim Mangala

The Manchester City defence has been poor by their standards this season and big summer signing Eliaquim Mangala has been a big part of that when he plays. Wayne Rooney has been in good form recently and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the United captain get the better of the French centre-back and get himself amongst the goalscorers as he often does in this fixture.

David Silva vs Antonio Valencia

Although Manchester City are in poor form we cannot ignore this favourable match up for the visitors. David Silva doesn’t have too many assists to his name this season but he’s certainly getting on the scoresheet. The Spaniard’s quick feet and intelligence should be a real threat for Manchester United’s right winger-come-right-back who has been caught out on a number of occasions this season.

Juan Mata vs Gaël Clichy

Juan Mata has put in some fine performances when given the opportunity of late. The Spanish playmaker certainly has the ability to be the difference maker here, drifting between the Manchester City midfield and defence where we expect him and his teammates to find space. In doing so, he certainly has the ability to create chances for both teammates and himself. Down the wing City’s left-back at least has the pace to keep up with Mata and get back in possession but he’ll need to be careful of the left-footer drifting in midfield.

Key Stats

3 – Manchester City have lost each of their last three Premier League away games – at Liverpool, Burnley and Crystal Palace.

4 – Manchester City are on a four-game winning streak in the Premier League versus the Red Devils.

5 – Manchester United are currently on a five-game winning streak in the Premier League, scoring 11 goals during this run and conceding only two.

Follow this weekend’s football with Soccerlens & INPLAY

Whether you’re following this weekend’s match live in the stadium, watching it in the pub or following it on your phone, INPLAY makes your football experience better.

INPLAY is a fantastic new social messaging app with a unique football twist – think WhatsApp for football – that allows you to interact with friends and like-minded supporters (with private chats and open groups) and the option to share images and videos via your phone.

You also get access to the latest football stories, filtered and personalised based on your preferences (favourite team, location, interests) right at your fingertips.

There’s a lot more to the app that’s best experienced rather than explained, so go ahead and click here to download the app for FREE on iPhone or Android.

Join Soccerlens @ INPLAY

Soccerlens will be covering football live through INPLAY this weekend. Make sure to download and sign up to the INPLAY app and the use this code 2JMJ2 to join the Soccerlens chatroom. We will have all the stats, news updates and much more for you through INPLAY and here on Soccerlens.

Click here to download the app for FREE on iPhone or Android.

Get started now and don’t forget to launch the app for in-match discussion during this weekend’s games!