Manchester City head into Sunday's crunch derby trailing rivals Manchester United by a point at the start of an important week for Pep Guardiola's men.
City last went into a Manchester derby behind United in the table in December 2020, when they were eighth and the Old Trafford club one place above.
United manager Ruben Amorim's issues have been laid bare in public following a humiliating Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two side Grimsby and Red Devils legend Wayne Rooney stating something is "broken" at the club.
But United have some momentum as they go into the game on the back of a last-gasp victory against Burnley before the international break, while City have suffered back-to-back defeats.
Guardiola's side find themselves in a difficult moment even at this early juncture in the season, and the Spaniard has issues to fix to prevent any concerns turning into a full crisis.
Asked whether the game is bigger for City or United, Guardiola told BBC Sport: "I am thinking about ourselves. We always have respect for our city rivals.
"We came back on Thursday - players came back good - and I am looking forward to it for our fans. I know how important it is.
"[It is] a really important game for us to change the dynamic and I trust the players a lot. We are going to do a good game."