Here are three pressing concerns for either side.
Manchester City
Injury worries
David Silva and Yaya Toure are doubtful with knee and groin problems, respectively, and, while the loss of either would be a significant setback, the absence of both could prove disastrous.
The pair represent different elements of Manchester City's attacking play. Silva is an elite playmaker and causes positional problems with his drifts inside from the left and splits defences open with his measured through balls. Manager Manuel Pellegrini has played him in a central role, too, increasing his influence.
Toure surges forward from deeper and attacks in a more direct, immediate manner. The Ivorian hasn't come close to replicating his 2013-14 form this season but he remains one of City's best weapons and, like Silva, is capable of bridging the gap between midfield and attack.
Neither has an obvious replacement. Samir Nasri and Fernandinho could be useful, but at City they've adapted their roles to fit in alongside Silva and Toure and aren't accustomed to taking charge. This could be Pellegrini's most difficult team selection of the season.
Pellegrini has sometimes played Silva as a number ten in a 4-2-3-1 but usually prefers to play Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko up front together. This obviously makes City dangerous in attack, but means they're often undermanned in midfield.
This has been a consistent problem against elite opposition, particularly in the Champions League where the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Roma have exposed them 3 vs. 2 in the middle. In truth, United aren't as effective as those teams, but they retain possession reliably, and there's a chance Van Gaal could revert to a midfield diamond, which would, on paper, mean a 4 vs. 2 battle in the engine room.
City boast strong midfielders, though, and the movement of players like Silva and Nasri means it's a more complex tactical battle than that. Nevertheless, Pellegrini will be worried that his side might struggle to stifle Juan Mata's creativity and Angel Di Maria's direct dribbles from wider positions.
Lack of confidence
City have won plenty of trophies in recent years, and have a raft of experienced players. Yet often they appear somewhat unprofessional: they make needless errors, and they suffer from spells of particularly poor form. Following three games without a victory, will City have the confidence required ahead of a local derby?
"My feeling is that we are not playing well, we are in a difficult moment with a lack of trust," Pellegrini admitted after Wednesday's Capital One Cup defeat vs. Newcastle. "We are conceding too [many] easy goals and we are not scoring the chances we have to score.
"It's a lack of confidence that we must address as soon as possible because we need to continue to be involved in the other competitions. Of course we must be worried -- we didn't win the three games we played this week.
"We must be worried about that but we must find a solution and we must address it. We will see with the players which is the way to try and recover that confidence because it's not normal to see this team playing the way we are now."
Pellegrini doesn't sound like he knows how to address the problem, and it's the leaders in the dressing room -- players like Toure, Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta, none of whom have performed well this season -- who must take control.
Manchester United
Daley Blind's lack of strength
The Dutch international has adapted marvellously to Premier League football, following a couple of impressive seasons with Ajax and a superb World Cup campaign. Blind is a footballer who has clearly been coached wonderfully from a young age -- technically he's perfect, and more than anything else, he knows what to do: where to position himself, how to move and where to distribute the ball.
Physically, however, he isn't outstanding. He's under six feet tall and not particularly strong by the standards of Premier League football, which could be a problem against City, particularly if Toure is fit.
Remember how Toure intercepted a pass from Michael Carrick toward Paul Scholes in the FA Cup semifinal of 2011, before powering past the United defence and slamming the ball past Edwin van der Sar?
That's a neat summary of how the City man's physique has troubled United in recent years, and while Blind is a fine midfielder, he might struggle against such a forceful opponent. Thus, Marouane Fellaini, who provides the height and strength Blind lacks, could be crucial.
United have been decent enough at Old Trafford this season; after the opening day defeat to Swansea, when Van Gaal had an injury crisis to cope with, they have recorded three victories, plus last weekend's draw against Chelsea.
On the road, it's been a different story. United haven't won any of their five matches in all competitions against mediocre opposition. There have been draws against Sunderland, Burnley and West Brom, plus dramatic defeats to Leicester and against MK Dons in the Capital One Cup.
It's a dramatic difference: Two points per game at home in the league, compared to 0.75 points on their travels. It remains too early to confirm this as a significant problem rather than a statistical anomaly, but the more United continue to be winless on their travels, the more the players will become aware of the record and their confidence for away matches will suffer. At least the coach journey won't be too long this weekend.
Centre-back weakness
Since Van Gaal took charge in the summer, United have never looked settled in defence. There have been various causes; primarily an injury crisis, but also an ill-fated experiment with a three-man defence in the opening few games.
Now, United have senior centre-backs fit and they're playing a back four. However, they don't look that much more convincing.
Marcos Rojo and Chris Smalling conceded only one goal against Chelsea last weekend and it was from a set-piece rather than open play, and full-back Rafael da Silva was largely to blame. But neither have been a commanding presence this season, often struggling against long balls and strong centre-forwards.
The pace and movement of Dzeko and Aguero might stylistically suit them better, but it remains to be seen whether they're good enough, as a partnership, to cope with players of that calibre. United haven't encountered many elite forwards this season, especially as Chelsea's Diego Costa missed last weekend's game through injury.
The one reason to be positive is that Rojo knows Aguero well, but can anyone cope with his sheer speed?
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