The eyes of the football world will be on Manchester City vs Manchester United today – but fans hoping to tune into the latest installment of the Manchester derby will need to clock the unusual 3.30pm kick-off time.
Pep Guardiola’s men will be hoping for a repeat of the 3-0 scoreline which the defending champions secured at Old Trafford earlier in the season, with a brace from Erling Haaland and one from Phil Foden handing City the local bragging rights.
The home side will be desperate for the three points to stay within touch of Liverpool in the Premier League title race, whom they currently sit four points behind at the top of the league summit.
Manchester United and Erik ten Hag, meanwhile, have plenty of work to do if they are to make up ground on fourth-placed Aston Villa, who occupy the last guaranteed Champions League qualification spot for next season.
So, why exactly is the Manchester derby kicking-off at the unusual time this afternoon?
Why is the Manchester derby kicking-off at 3.30pm?
Manchester United vs Manchester City is kicking off today at 3.30pm following an agreement made by the two clubs and other parties.
A statement released by Manchester United read: ‘The unusual start time was agreed following consultation between the clubs, the broadcaster and local authorities.’
The match is being shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, as part of Super Sunday, with coverage set to get underway from 3pm.
As such, the first installment of Sky’s offering – Burnley vs Bournemouth – will start at the earlier time of 1pm to accommodate the new kick-off time for the Manchester derby.
The reverse fixture at Old Trafford in October also kicked-off at 3.30pm for the same reason.
United have another Sunday 3.30pm kick-off penciled in this season, with Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford in April set to start an hour earlier.
Last season’s clash at the Etihad finished in a dramatic 6-3 win for the home side.
Haaland and Foden both bagged hat-tricks in what was, unsurprisingly, the highest-ever scoring Manchester derby in history.
A late brace from Anthony Martial helped United pull it back from 6-1, ensuring the scoreline was somewhat less embarrassing than it could have been.
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