Manchester City host Sheffield United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening as Pep Guardiola and his side look to bounce back from their devastating 3-2 loss at the hands of Wolves on Friday.
The Citizens were unable to capitalise on their 2-0 lead against Nuno Espirito Santo's side and subsequently succumbed to their fifth league defeat of the season to fall 14 points behind league leaders Liverpool.
Sheffield United fans are signing a very different tune at Bramall Lane, as the Blades currently sit in seventh place after an impressive start to the season. Chris Wilder's side are unbeaten in their last four Premier League outings and, incredibly, haven't lost an away game in the league since last January.
With Guardiola all but conceding defeat in the title race, Sunday's fixture will be about restoring pride and preventing a free-fall in form. Wilder, however, will have plans of his own and will look to record his tenth consecutive unbeaten away game in the Premier League.
Where To Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Sunday 29th December |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 18:00 (GMT) |
| Where Is It Played? | Etihad Stadium |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | Sky Sports 2 HD |
| Referee? | Chris Kavanagh |
Team News
With the games over the festive period coming thick and fast, Manchester City will have to make a host of changes having played two games in 48 hours. Gabriel Jesus (illness), David Silva (leg) and Ilkay Gündogun (match fitness) remain doubts, while John Stones (hamstring), Aymeric Laporte (knee) and Leroy Sané (knee) are sidelined.
Predicted Lineups
| Manchester City: | Bravo; Zinchenko, Otamendi, Fernandinho, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Gündogan, Foden; Sterling, Agüero, Mahrez. |
| Sheffield United: | Henderson; Basham, Egan, O'Connell; Baldock, Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens; McGoldrick, Mousset. |
Head to Head Record
Manchester City and Sheffield United have only faced each other on six previous occasions in the league, with the Sky Blues winning three and the other three games ending in a draw.
The two sides have not met in any competition since a 2-1 FA Cup fourth round victory for the Blades back in January 2008, whereby Luton Shelton took advantage of a deflection from an inflatable ball which had made its way onto the pitch.
Recent Form
Despite dominant victories over Leicester City and Arsenal in recent weeks, Manchester City have only won two of their last four Premier League fixtures, with their Manchester derby defeat compounded by the 3-2 loss at the hands of Wolves last time out. The Citizens are, however, unbeaten in 37 home games against newly promoted sides and have won 25 of their last 29 Premier League home fixtures, so there are some positives ahead of Sunday's clash.
Sheffield United are in a purple patch of their own, which has seemed to last throughout the 2019/20 season so far. The Blades have lost just one of their last five Premier League fixtures, that coming in a 2-0 home defeat against Newcastle, and remain undefeated in nine league away games stretching back to the start of the season. Remarkably, Sheffield United have had fewer league defeats than Sunday's opponents, registering four losses to City's five.
Here is how both teams have fared in their previous five fixtures.
| Manchester City | Sheffield United |
| Wolves 3-2 Man City (27/12) | Sheffield United 1-1 Watford (26/12) |
| Man City 3-1 Leicester (21/12) | Brighton 0-1 Sheffield United (21/12) |
| Oxford United 1-3 Man City (18/12) | Sheffield United 2-0 Aston Villa (14/12) |
| Arsenal 0-3 Man City (15/12) | Norwich 1-2 Sheffield United (08/12) |
| Dinamo Zagreb 1-4 Man City (11/12) | Sheffield United 0-2 Newcastle (05/12) |
Prediction
Source : 90min