The Blues welcome Marc Skinner’s side to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 19 January, with kick-off scheduled for 18:45 (UK) in what is the first heavyweight bout between the teams this term.
We enter the clash having won each of our last three meetings with our cross-city rivals, including respective memorable 3-1 wins at home and at Old Trafford last term.
However, only one point separates us in second and Manchester United in fourth heading into this weekend’s fixture.
It all points towards to an enthralling night under the lights as City continue our pursuit on four fronts during the second half of 2024/25.
But with key members of our squad absent on Sunday through injuries, Taylor has warned against comparing the latest matchup to derbies of the past.
“Handling the occasions [in the past] has been good for us,” he explained.
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“It’s really difficult to look at the last two games last season. Lauren [Hemp] played in those games, Bunny and Alex Greenwood. Trying to compare that to now is difficult.
“There’s not been too much change at United but you’d say the same about us. More activity this summer but the way players have settled has been great.
“As much as we take the confidence from being there, winning 3-1 at Old Trafford and at the Etihad is impressive because they’re good games and ones you want to be involved in, but you can’t compare it to what we’re going into now.
“It’s probably the latest we’ve played a Manchester derby, usually there is one in the first and then the second half of the season.
“It’s been good to get games out the way before this one but we play them three days later. When these competitions evolve into the latter stages of cup competitions you end up playing them more often.”
Watch Taylor’s full pre-Manchester United press conference in the video player above!
City v Manchester United app coverage
Starting 90 minutes before kick-off, our Matchday Centre will provide detailed text updates, stats and analysis carrying on throughout the game and after the final whistle.
There will also be a special Matchday Live broadcast with Steve Howey and Toni Duggan joining Natalie Pike in the studio to offer their expert insight across the encounter.
Those with push notifications turned on will be alerted to all the key moments, with Nick Walsh and Karen Bardsley also guiding you through the action from the press box with live audio commentary.
A detailed match report plus reaction from Gareth Taylor and a player will be made available soon after the full-time whistle.
Highlights from the game and a CITY+ full-match replay can then be accessed from 12:00 (UK) on Monday.
