The first Manchester Derby fixture has been rearranged for the upcoming Premier League campaign, with the League issuing an apology.
With the 2025/26 Premier League campaign to kick off in only a matter of weeks, the fixtures for the year have been released for all to see.
Manchester United’s opening run of fixtures includes a tough few games against some of their most highly contested rivals, which will be a huge test for Ruben Amorim and his side.
One of the most eagerly anticipated rivalries of every season is the Manchester Derby, but this year’s early fixture at the Etihad has been rearranged.
Last year Amorim surprised the masses in United’s away fixture against their city rivals, as his side managed to win it late through goals from Bruno Fernandes and Amad.
City vs United date announced
The fixture between the two Manchester rivals has been moved to Sunday, September 14, due to it being switched for live TV coverage.
This spectacle hosted by Pep Guardiola’s side will kick off at 4:30pm and will be televised on Sky Sports, rather than on the Saturday it had initially been scheduled for.
It is no surprise that this derby has been moved, as derby dates are almost always switched to Sky’s Super Sunday slot.
In United’s favour, this fixture comes just before the start of the league phase of the Champions League, which Guardiola will most definitely have one eye on.
United’s opening fixtures
Given the latest news, United fans can now be excited to watch their side on the big screen again and will be hopeful that they can see some more positives on the pitch as opposed to last campaign.
Their opening day fixture against Arsenal will present Amorim’s new stars, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, with the opportunity to capture the headlines for their new side.
United have been blessed with an array of televised fixtures alongside these two blockbusters, with their match against Chelsea on Saturday, September 20, and their fixture vs Brentford on Saturday, September 27 both being shown on Sky Sports and TNT Sports.
The news for these changes has come slightly later than usual and the Premier League have issued an apology at the later announcement.
A spokesman said: “While our fixture announcement dates advised that September fixtures would be released on July 9, delays in local approvals for fixtures unfortunately meant only August fixtures were announced on this date.
“The Premier League would like to apologise for not being able to confirm these fixtures until now. However, today’s announcement is in line with our commitment to give at least six weeks’ notice for fixture announcements before January.”
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