Despite all the hype, however, the match will do well to live up to some of the Manchester derby tussles down the years. Here are five of the most memorable:
Seasonal cheer has been scarce for Louis van Gaal after a six-match winless sequence for his Manchester United side intensified rumours that he will be sacked and Stoke City are unlikely to be offering any solace on Saturday.
Former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs has expressed his interest in the vacant managerial positions at Premier League sides Leicester City and Everton.
The possibility of winning Europe's most prestigious club competition in his hometown has given Wales winger Gareth Bale extra motivation to help Real Madrid become the first club to defend their Champions League title.
Triple European champions Manchester United and their under-fire coach Louis van Gaal face a tricky task against little-known Midtjylland in the last 32 of the Europa League following Monday's draw.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Alex Ferguson has revealed that David Moyes, the man chosen as his managerial successor at Manchester United, was sixth on a list of ideal replacements headed by Pep Guardiola and four others, who were all 'unavailable' at the time.
Germany's new-look team made a promising return to the international stage with a 1-1 draw against Serbia in a friendly on Wednesday, showing signs of improvement following a disastrous 2018.
While Kapil is an academy member of the Laureus World Sports Awards along with Australian cricket legend Steve Waugh, Yuvraj has been invited in role of an ambassador.
Swansea City sacked manager Bob Bradley on Tuesday less than three months after the American took charge, with the January transfer window looming and the Premier League's second-bottom club desperate to get out of relegation trouble.
Robin van Persie's hat-trick lifted the gloom surrounding Manchester United and manager David Moyes as the English side beat Olympiakos Piraeus 3-0 to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit and reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Arsenal will begin their quest to become the first team in modern times to win the FA Cup three years running with a home tie against fellow Premier League side Sunderland in January.
Danny Welbeck and Jesse Lingard both scored twice as English champions Manchester United got their first win of the David Moyes era with a 5-1 victory over an A-League All Stars team at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho, unveiled as Manchester United's new manager on Tuesday, declared he is a winner who aims to return the club to its traditional position of dominance.
Wayne Rooney, who has scored more goals than anyone in the Manchester derby, is back after suspension and fit for Sunday's meeting between the city's two biggest clubs at the Etihad Stadium.
Louis van Gaal does "nothing" as Manchester United manager but earns a lot because the most important job for a top-level coach is delegating responsibilities to his staff.
Yuvraj Singh said he has been following Manchester United for more than 20 years
Four wins a row have lifted Manchester United into the Premier League's top four and Louis van Gaal's managerial reign is beginning to bear fruit after a difficult start.
Jose Mourinho will be appointed Manchester United manager next week to replace Louis van Gaal despite Saturday's FA Cup final victory over Crystal Palace, British media have reported.
Here is a fact file on the former Manchester United captain
Holders Chelsea made light of their off-pitch problems to reach the Champions League quarter-finals by beating Lille 2-1 away on Wednesday to complete a 4-1 aggregate victory.
'I was surprised a role wasn't mentioned when chief executive Ian Ayre sat down with my agent, but maybe it might happen one day' 'I'd have stayed on as a squad player if I'd had the chance to learn more about management or coaching'
As a baby-faced striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made his name coming off the bench to score vital goals for Manchester United and his knack of making a dramatic impact appears undiminished.
Chelsea's Belgium forward won Eden Hazard England's PFA player of the year award ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane and Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea on Sunday.
Danny Welbeck and Jesse Lingard both scored twice as English champions Manchester United got their first win of the David Moyes era with a 5-1 victory over an A-League All Stars team at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
The year was 1986 and with just three league wins to their name by the first weekend of November, Manchester United dismissed Ron Atkinson as manager and appointed Alex Ferguson.
Jose Mourinho will forget what has gone on for the last three disappointing seasons at Manchester United, he said in his first interview after being installed as manager on Friday.
Manchester City returned to the Premier League summit for the first time since January with a 3-2 win at Everton on Saturday that left them six points from a second title in three seasons.
European champions Bayern Munich led the charge into the last 16 of the Champions League when they beat Viktoria Plzen 1-0 to chalk up a record-equalling ninth straight victory in the competition on Tuesday.
The table suggests Louis van Gaal is making progress at Manchester United but winning matches has never been good enough on its own at the Theatre of Dreams.
David Beckham, one of the so-called "Class of 92", went on to win six Premier League titles under Alex Ferguson at United alongside youth-team buddies Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, and Gary and Phil Neville. Beckham also won two FA Cups and, memorably, the Champions League in 1999. He topped up his trophy collection with a La Liga winners' medal for Real Madrid and added two MLS Cups during a north American adventure with LA Galaxy.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Manchester United's early season problems were compounded by a humiliating 4-0 loss to third-tier Milton Keynes Dons in the League Cup second round on Tuesday leaving new manager Louis van Gaal still looking for his first win.
The Welsh, who reached the Euro 2016 semi-finals, finished runners-up on 14 points from eight games, three behind Croatia who sealed their berth on Saturday with a 3-1 win over Slovakia.
After an indifferent Premier League start and without an away win this season, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal's belief that his side can still win the Premier League is misplaced, says former club captain Gary Neville.
Manchester United's hopes of salvaging their season in the Europa League suffered a stinging setback when they lost 2-1 at Danish side Midtjylland in the first leg of their last-32 clash on Thursday.
(Reuters) - Real Madrid, Manchester United and Paris St Germain reached the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday on a night when the goals flowed all over Europe with United the highest scorers in a 5-0 win at Bayer Leverkusen.
Wales will move higher than their richer rivals and neighbours England when the new FIFA rankings are announced after Euro 2016, the first sign for what, many predict, will be a bright future after they made history at the tournament. Playing in their first finals since 1958, the Welsh reached the last four of a major tournament for the first time and are expected to move up close to the top 10 countries in the world rankings.
France striker Olivier Giroud ended a run of 10 international games without a goal by netting a stunning winner as the world champions claimed a deserved 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in their Nations League clash on Sunday.
Esther Staubli is set to become the first female referee to officiate a match at the ongoing FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2017.
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