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With the Premier League set to return to its usual groove after the much-awaited UEFA Champions League clashes in the mid-week, Manchester United will travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City in what happens to be the 177th meeting between the two sides.
The Red Devils have the upper hand when it comes to statistics; they have won 73 times while their noisy neighbours have beaten them 51 times. The remaining 52 games have ended in a draw.
However, all that history will hold little importance when the Red and the Blue half of Manchester lock antlers against each other, given the current conditions they are in right now.
Pep Guardiola and the Cityzens are on a rollicking run of form and sitting atop the league table, while the fallen giants under Jose Mourinho are languishing in eighth place.
With the shift of power distinctly visible in Manchester, the clash will no doubt hold a great importance for both City and United.
The Cityzens will try to maintain the top spot by aiming for a win while the Red Devils will look to improve their ranking and make it to the top four.
The City-United affair has always been an exhilarating one. As we approach another one of those derby days that promises top-notch entertainment, here are 5 famous and unforgettable clashes between the two sides in the Premier League era.
#5 Manchester United 1-1 Manchester City (21 April 2001)
When you read the title, you'll hardly be able to reminiscence why this draw is mentioned here. What is the one thing that actually makes this clash an unforgettable one?
Alf Inge Haaland. Pretty sure every one of us, at least the most diehard of both sets of fans, will be familiar with the aforementioned name. Evidently, it was in this very Manchester Derby that Haaland suffered a career-ending injury post a brutal tackle by United skipper Roy Keane.
While the famous feud is well-documented in the folklore, hardly does anyone remember the game and its outcome.
United had the first best chance in the game when they were awarded a penalty after City forward Paul Dickov fouled United defender Wes Brown in the box. However, Paul Scholes missed the penalty by a distance and Joe Royle's men were afforded a breather - only for a few minutes.
Dickov was at fault yet again when he misplaced a backpass, eventually forcing goalkeeper Carlo Nash to bring down interceptor Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and compelling the referee to point to the spot.
Teddy Sheringham made sure Dickov was punished this time as he rattled the net from the spot. However, United's hopes of winning were dampened thanks to a late Steve Howey equaliser in the 84th minute from close range.
The next, we know, the famous tackle incident took place. City kept their survival hopes alive with a point as the referee blew the final whistle.
#4 Manchester United 4-2 Manchester City (12 April 2015)
This one might not match the magnitude of that unceremonious thrashing of Manchester United at the hands of their cross-town rivals, yet few can deny that it comes close as a revenge.
The Red Devils had been winless in the last four derbies and they redeemed themselves in spectacular fashion. Ashley Young probably had the best day in a red shirt as his goal and two assists helped United mount a crushing victory over the Cityzens.
As it had always happened before, City opened the scoring with David Silva exploiting space and dishing out the ball to Sergio Aguero to finish the job in the eighth minute. Six minutes later, Ashley Young snatched an equaliser for United.
The Englishman then provided a fine pass for Marouane Fellaini whose inch-perfect header put the Red Devils ahead. Juan Mata nutmegged Joe Hart with a neat finish, adding a third goal in the process. Young again took to the mantle as his free-kick found Chris Smalling, who nodded the ball into the net as the scoreboard read 4-1.
Aguero netted another goal courtesy to a Pablo Zabaleta pass but that did little to deprive United of the three points they had deservedly bagged following the game.
#3 Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United (22 September 2013)
Everyone in the footballing fraternity had projected Manchester United to undergo a tough campaign after Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as the manager and David Moyes took charge. And, a rather early clash against their noisy neighbours was enough to prove just that.
In what was Moyes' first Manchester derby, Manuel Pellegrini's men mercilessly humiliated their cross-town rivals with a 4-1 scoreline.
Sergio Aguero opened the scoring for Man City in the 16th minute, volleying an Aleksander Kolarov cross in the back of the net.
An unmarked Yaya Toure then stepped up to aggravate the pain with a simple finish following an Alvaro Negredo touch from a Samir Nasri corner in the stoppage time of the first half.
City poured more water on United's hopes of making a trademark comeback as Aguero netted for the second time, making the score 3-0. Samir Nasri put a Jesus Navas cross to justice three minutes later and completed the humiliation. All United bagged from the clash was a consolation free-kick goal from Wayne Rooney.
The clash sits just next beside another famous and ignominious loss United suffered at the hands of their rivals.
#2 Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City (20 September 2009)
When both sets of fans flocked to Old Trafford on a fine sunny day in September, little might they have prophecied a seven-goal thriller that lay in store for them.
Wayne Rooney, the poster boy of Manchester United in 2009, netted in the second minute to put United on the lead. Gareth Barry then took to the mantle to cancel out his England teammate's opener.
However, City were left abashed yet again when Darren Fletcher regained the lead for Manchester United in the 49th minute.
Welshman Craig Bellamy stepped forward to equalise again three minutes later. Fletcher again piled misery with a third United goal ten minutes from time.
And yet, the drama was far from being over. Bellamy found the net again for City in the 90th minute to make the score 3-3.
Referee Martin Atkinson awarded a six-minute stoppage time and United made the most out of it, taking the lead for the fourth time through Michael Owen and eventually emerging victors of the game.
Sir Alex Ferguson hailed the game as the 'best derby of all time'. The match was also voted as the best game in the first two decades of the Premier League in the Premier League 20 Seasons Awards.
#1 Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City (23 October 2011)
Not many teams can boast humiliating their fierce rivals with a 6-1 win as visitors, but Manchester City can.
As for Manchester United, the disgrace and the lacerations that they suffered are downright indelible. What's more, Wayne Rooney couldn't have asked for a more worse birthday, as he turned 26 immediately the next day following the nerve-wrenching fixture.
Roberto Mancini's men dominated the game like never before, and it was always going to be a tough task for United to grind out a positive result. However, few could have predicted such a massive win for the Citizens.
Mario Balotelli opened the scoring for City and the scoreboard stayed 1-0 until the hour mark when he struck again.
The goal was just the beginning of the worst 30 minutes Manchester United have ever played in their history. Johnny Evans' red card at the beginning of the second half proved to be the turning point of the game for Manchester City.
Sergio Aguero added a third on the 69th minute, followed by a Darren Fletcher goal that kept the hopes of a comeback alive.
Manchester City inflicted unbearable pain on their rivals by scoring three goals in four minutes in the 90th minute and stoppage time, courtesy to a goal by David Silva and a brace by substitute Edin Dzeko.
Manchester United suffered their worst home defeat since 1955, while the emphatic win remained a cherry on the cake for the Premier League title that City clinched in a memorable fashion in season 2011-12.
