For the best part of the last decade, the Manchester derby has been at the very forefront of the English game. Indeed, Manchester United or Manchester City have won five of the last nine Premier League titles, also producing four runners-up during that time. While there's been something of a respite over the last three years, that's very much the case once again heading into Sunday's 4.30pm kickoff. Victory for Manchester City will see them go eleven points clear of the chasing pack, but a home win at Old Trafford would reduce the deficit to just five and give United the confidence they need to catch up with their rivals before the end of May. Throw in the added sub-plot of Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola's rivalry, made extra special by their polarising philosophies, and the coming Manchester derby is a pivotal encounter on almost countless levels. Here's everything you need to know before the two sides kick off...

What History Tells Us

They often say form goes out of the window in derby games and that's certainly the case here. Despite City only truly achieving parity with their local rivals over the best part of the last decade, they've often performed well in this fixture, even doing the double over United during the 2007/08 season - ironically, when Sir Alex Ferguson's side won the Champions League. Accordingly, the Red Devils have only scored seven more goals than City throughout their 40 Premier League meetings, which shows how close this fixture has often been. The last five top flight meetings have produced two United wins and two draws - before that, however, City beat the Old Trafford outfit in four consecutive encounters.

Referee influence - Michael Oliver

There's an incredibly thin line when it comes to Michael Oliver, something Manchester United will be only too aware of. While respective rankings of ninth and 13th for fouls per match and fouls per tackle out of the Premier League's 18 referees this season suggest the 32-year-old isn't a strict disciplinarian who blows the whistle at any given opportunity, much higher rates for yellow cards and penalties highlights how heavy-handed he is when punishing fouls, if not while deliberating over awarding them. Having seen Chris Smalling sent off in the Manchester derby by Oliver previously, alongside Ander Herrera against Chelsea last season, United know they can't give the referee any excuse to make a big call in such a pivotal game - especially considering they average over two fouls per game more than City and will likely be doing the majority of defending this Sunday.

Team News

The big blow for United heading into Sunday's game is of course the absence of Paul Pogba, who saw red against Arsenal last time out for a reckless challenge on Hector Bellerin. That leaves a sizeable hole in the Red Devils' engine room and one that will particularly concern Mourinho, having already revealed Nemanja Matic will play through injury to be part of the Manchester derby. With Marouane Fellaini a doubt, the obvious assumption is that Ander Herrera will start alongside him - while Jesse Lingard has made himself undroppable for this fixture after grabbing three goals in his last two Premier League appearances. We've also tipped fellow academy product Marcus Rashford to start up front alongside Romelu Lukaku; a full ninety minutes in midweek might suggest that's unlikely, but the England international's work-rate could be crucial and local lads always tend to bring an extra few ounces of intensity into derby games.

Guardiola's latest injury update has provided both a key positive and a few concerns for City. While the Spaniard has insisted his philosophy-encompassing countryman David Silva will play, although we still consider him to be a doubt as it could well be a last-minute bluff, he's also revealed a decision will be made on captain Vincent Kompany tomorrow while Fabian Delph has been suffering with an illness. Although the latter has been fantastic for City this season, Danilo in reserve makes him somewhat replaceable; an absent Kompany, on the other hand, will force Guardiola into placing his faith in Eliaquim Mangala or a square peg in a round hole. The other noteworthy difference between City's last Premier League outing against West Ham is the likely return of Fernandinho, very much the unsung hero of City's frighteningly creative engine room.

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