10 Things to Watch for During Manchester City vs. Manchester United

Wayne Rooney is available for Manchester United again after his three-match suspension. There have been doubts, though, about Rooney's fitness ahead of the game. Will Rooney be fully fit to start? Indications suggest that he will be, but the doubts regarding just how fit the striker is will obviously still hover over Rooney's head.

Eliaquim Mangala is going to be an important player for Manchester City for many years to come. But right now, the center-back is struggling as he tries to adapt to life in the EPL. City have the experienced Martin Demichelis to bring in if they wish to take Mangala out of the spotlight, but it is a decision which could hurt the Frenchman's confidence further in the short-term. It's a big decision ahead of a big game for Manuel Pellegrini.

Yaya Toure has yet to show up in the 2014-15 season for Manchester City. The Ivorian has shown nothing like the irresistible form he showed last season, and has looked labored and lethargic so far. City have suffered because of this, and they need the real Toure to show up as soon as possible -- preferably in time for the game against United on Sunday.

Manchester United are having chronic trouble defending set-pieces from wide areas. The team is short on height and when it comes to marking the opposition inside the 18-yard box, it's proving to much for them to handle. Crazily, a 5-foot-8 Rafael was left marking a 6-foot-2 Didier Drogba last weekend, and, of course, Drogba scored with a header from a corner kick. However, similar problems can also be expected against a physical City team.

Opposition teams seem to have decided that counter-attacks are the best way to hurt Manchester City -- and hurt them they have. Pace seems to be something that City simply cannot defend against right now and players like Angel di Maria, Adnan Januzaj and even Luke Shaw out wide, will all prove problematic for City to defend against -- especially out in transition on the counter-attack.

With two defenses which are struggling mightily, and attacking talent on both sides that any team would love to have, goals seem a certainty in this Manchester derby. Although David de Gea and Joe Hart may just have something to say about that! Both are world-class goalkeepers and amongst the best around, and given the obvious strengths and weaknesses of both teams, both de Gea and Hart could have influential roles to play in this game.

How can Sergio Aguero not be an important factor to consider in any game he plays in right now? The striker has been on fire so far this season and the United defense will have a big job at hand to contain the Argentine. The United defense has struggled in almost every game so far, and with Aguero lurking in this match, United may get punished even more than they have been previously.

United are a team in transition, and are playing like one. City, however, are the champions, but playing nothing like they should be. City shown their real capabilities when they played Chelsea, but their performances have since tailed off as the strength of their opposition has similarly tailed off. Will City now raise their game again for their rivals? The season so far would suggest so, but the way City are performing, nothing is for sure.

The emotion was obvious as Robin van Persie scored the equalizing goal against Chelsea last weekend. That was a man who had just salvaged a point for his team in the dying seconds of the game, but it was also a man who had only scored two goals in seven EPL games previously. There was a sense that van Persie hadn't quite turned up yet this season, but could that last-gasp goal now spark the Dutchman into a familiar goal-scoring run?

Neither team can defend right now, and both have world-class formidable strikers to choose from -- so goals look pretty inevitable at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Neither United or City will be able to contain the other, and it could purely come down to who can score the most goals on the day. It will be both risky and nerve racking for the two teams, managers and fans of both clubs -- but absolutely perfect if you're a neutral observer.