Manchester City's Perfect Start on the Line as Derby Day Arrives at Old Trafford

According to The Guardian, Manchester City head into Sunday's Manchester derby as the only side in the Premier League with a 100 percent record, needing a win at Old Trafford to stay level with Arsenal at the summit of the table.

City manager Enzo Maresca will take charge of his first Manchester derby after guiding the club to three straight league victories.

Arsenal drew level on points with City on Saturday night, beating Sunderland 2-0 at the Stadium of Light through goals from Bruno Guimarães and Bukayo Saka, with goalkeeper David Raya also making a penalty save.

Maresca Plays Down Personal Significance

Al Jazeera reported that Maresca, speaking to reporters on Friday, downplayed the personal milestone of managing his first derby.

He said his primary concern was the team, the supporters and the league table, and that winning mattered because the club wanted to keep winning, not because of any individual milestone.

Maresca also addressed comments made by City's record signing Elliot Anderson, who joined from Nottingham Forest for 116 million pounds this summer. Anderson had described City as the kings of Manchester.

Maresca told reporters that Anderson's view reflected growing up watching City dominate over the past 15 years, though he acknowledged the picture looked different further back in history.

City have a strong recent record at Old Trafford, though they did lose there in January in what proved to be Pep Guardiola's final derby in charge.

Carrick's United Looking to Repeat January Upset

Michael Carrick's Manchester United come into the fixture having won only one of their opening three league games, leaving them five points behind City.

However, United's sole victory in that January meeting, a 2-0 result at Old Trafford, will give Carrick's side a recent reference point.

United's Premier League form has been uneven. They opened the season with a seven-goal thriller against Ipswich, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a hat-trick, but have since found wins harder to come by.

Saturday's Results Set the Weekend Context

Saturday's Premier League card threw up contrasting results across seven matches. Nottingham Forest beat Aston Villa 2-1, while Ipswich Town came from behind to defeat Crystal Palace 3-2.

Liverpool drew 0-0 with Fulham, Tottenham and Everton Spurs and Everton played out a goalless draw, and Chelsea were held 2-2 by Hull City. Bournemouth and Brentford also shared the points at 2-2.

Old Firm and WSL Also on Sunday's Card

Sunday's schedule extends well beyond Manchester. Rangers host Celtic at Ibrox in a Scottish League Cup Old Firm derby, adding another high-profile fixture to a full day of football across multiple competitions.

Games in the Women's Super League, the Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, La Liga and the Championship are also scheduled on Sunday.

Coventry, still without a league point, host Brighton in the other Premier League game of the afternoon.