MANCHESTER, England, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Michael Carrick will step into the dugout as Manchester United's interim manager for the first time in Saturday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford, tasked with steadying a side that has stumbled through another bleak winter.
United are seventh in the table with one win in their last six league matches and last week's FA Cup exit left the mood flat, but Carrick's arrival, in the wake of Ruben Amorim's sacking, brings a flicker of hope.
His first challenge? Attempt to outwit Pep Guardiola, whose Manchester City team are six points behind Arsenal and second in the league table, despite three consecutive draws.
There are reasons for optimism at United. Harry Maguire is back fit, and Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo return from Africa Cup of Nations duty, adding depth to a squad that has looked threadbare.
City arrive with their own narrative twist with January signing Antoine Semenyo stealing the headlines. Two games, two goals, and his own chant from the Etihad faithful, Semenyo has injected a dose of unpredictability into Guardiola's well-oiled machine.
While City's three draws cost them precious points in the title race, their recent form suggests they are rediscovering their ruthless edge, with a 10–1 FA Cup demolition of League One side Exeter City and a 2-0 League Cup semi-final win over Newcastle United on Tuesday.
Guardiola is counting on Omar Marmoush's return from AFCON to shoulder some of the attacking load on "exhausted" Erling Haaland. Marmoush's Egypt lost 1-0 to Senegal in Wednesday's AFCON semi-finals, but City will have to wait for the forward's return until after the tournament's third-place playoff on Saturday.
Haaland, who once again tops the Premier League scoring chart with 20 goals, played Tuesday's full match, including 10 minutes of injury time. He has not scored from open play, however, since their 3-0 win over West Ham United on December 20.
"Hopefully Omar will be back soon to give rest to Erling because Erling is exhausted," Guardiola said on Tuesday.
Elsewhere this weekend, Arsenal can further cement their position atop the table as they face 17th-placed Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Liverpool host lowly Burnley on Saturday with Arne Slot's title holders fourth in the table, 14 points adrift of Arsenal. Burnley are deep in relegation trouble, in 19th place and eight points from the safety zone.
Chelsea, whose last league win was a 2-0 defeat of Everton on December 13, will aim to reassert themselves in the top-four conversation when they host fifth-placed Brentford on Saturday.
Bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers will hope to turn their recent momentum into a second league win when they host Newcastle on Sunday.
Rob Edwards' Wolves are undefeated in their last four games across all competitions, including a 6-1 thrashing of League One side Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Wolves are 20th on seven points, 14 points behind Forest in 17th, while Newcastle are sixth with 32 points, three points off the top four.
(Reporting by Lori EwingEditing by Toby Davis)
