The first Manchester derby of the 2026–27 season has arrived, with Manchester United hosting their great rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.Though City have been comfortably superior to United for much of the past decade, the derby has a funny way of making form count for very little. Just look at the last 10 meetings: five wins for City, four for United and one draw. When it comes to derby day, anything can happen.This one is particularly difficult to call. City are in a period of transition following the end of their 2023–24 title-winning era, with a host of new players still settling in, while United are resurgent under Michael Carrick after finishing third last season and playing some of their best soccer of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.To get a better idea of how Sunday’s clash could unfold, it’s worth looking beyond the managers and the bigger picture and focusing on the individual battles across the pitch—the duels between key players, some tasked with creating the decisive moments and others with stopping them.None will be more important than these three.1. Elliot Anderson vs. Bruno FernandesElliot Anderson (left) and Bruno Fernandes will lock horns on Sunday. | Alex Juarez/Anadolu/Getty Images (Anderson), MB Media/Getty Images (Fernandes)The midfield battle between Bruno Fernandes—Manchester United’s chief creator—and Elliot Anderson—City’s passing maestro—is fascinating for two reasons.The most obvious is Anderson’s task of stifling Fernandes’s creativity and goal threat. The latter already has five goal contributions this season, which makes the assignment easier said than done, but the Englishman is a tenacious tackler and tactically astute. He’ll likely be tasked with preventing United’s captain from receiving the ball cleanly between the lines and limiting his ability to turn and release runners ahead of him.On the other hand, Fernandes will have an equally important job: making sure Anderson doesn’t have the time and space from deep to dictate the tempo of the game. Against Coventry, Anderson completed 146 passes, the most by an English player in a Premier League game since Opta began tracking the data in 2003–04.If Fernandes fails to press him effectively and allows Anderson time to pick out his passes, the City midfielder can dictate proceedings, prevent United from establishing a foothold in the game and, just as importantly, find dangerous passes to unlock the Red Devils’ defense.2. Erling Haaland vs. Harry MaguireErling Haaland (left) and Harry Maguire are familiar foes. | Michael Regan/Getty ImagesHarry Maguire could have the unenviable task of keeping Erling Haaland quiet on Sunday, with the diminutive Lisandro Martínez simply lacking the physical profile to go toe-to-toe with the towering Norwegian.Few defenders have consistently managed to contain Haaland, but Maguire has at least shown that it can be done.Across five previous Premier League meetings between the pair, the battle has gone one of two ways. On two occasions, Haaland has taken full advantage of Maguire’s weaknesses, particularly his vulnerability when pressed and lack of recovery pace, scoring twice in each game.The other three meetings have told a very different story. Maguire has managed to largely nullify Haaland by refusing to give him the kind of space and physical advantage he usually thrives on. Instead, the United defender has embraced the battle, using his strength, aggression, physicality and no-nonsense approach—and, on occasion, a touch of the dark arts—to beat Haaland at his own game.Haaland has already scored five goals this season and heads into the derby in imperious form. Maguire, meanwhile, has quietly put together an impressive run of his own, stepping up admirably in the absence of Matthijs de Ligt.Something has to give on Sunday.3. Bryan Mbeumo vs. Joško GvardiolBryan Mbeumo (left) and Joško Gvardiol will go toe-to-toe. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images (Mbeumo), Sebastian Frej/Getty Images (Gvardiol)If Haaland is the danger man United need to stop at one end of the pitch, Bryan Mbeumo is City’s biggest headache at the other—and Joško Gvardiol is likely to be the defender tasked with keeping him quiet.Mbeumo has quickly established himself as an important part of Manchester United’s attack, scoring twice in his opening three Premier League appearances. Although he operates primarily from the right, the Cameroon international rarely stays glued to the touchline, instead constantly looking to drift inside and attack the space between the lines. That should bring him into Gvardiol’s territory, with the Croatian expected to operate as the left-sided center back.On paper, Gvardiol has the physical advantage over the diminutive Mbeumo. But that doesn’t necessarily make the matchup straightforward. Mbeumo is deceptively strong, while his quick feet and unpredictable movement make him extremely difficult to pin down.Give him room to run directly at City’s backline—and particularly if Gvardiol allows him to turn and accelerate—and Mbeumo can be a nightmare to contain. The Croatian will need to close the space quickly and make sure United’s attacking weapon never gets the chance to build up a head of steam.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow