Thursday’s Manchester derby will be a ‘make or break’ game for both clubs, Ander Herrera argued.

Should Manchester United, who have not lost in the Premier League since October, overcome City at the Etihad Stadium, they will leapfrog Pep Guardiola’s side into the Champions League positions. United will be one point behind Liverpool in third with a game in hand.

After 23 unbeaten matches, it would be hard to argue the derby is not the pivotal moment of Manchester United’s season. Should United beat City in their own stadium, as they did last year, their fate will be theirs to decide.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Tom Heaton – 6 out of 10 The keeper made a multitude of vital saves, but he was beaten by both Martial and Rooney. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Matthew Lowton – 5 out of 10 He looked promising moving up the pitch, but defensively he was lacklustre and wasteful in possession. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Michael Keane – 6 out of 10 The defender done well today to keep the United attacks to a minimum. He stood his ground well and looked sharp. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Ben Mee – 7 out of 10 Patrolled the defensive third today – he made a handful of vital interceptions, tackled hard and worked relentlessly. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Stephen Ward – 5 out of 10 Struggled to keep up with the pace of the United side going forward, which made him look out of his depth against a side of such aptitude. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings George Boyd – 6 out of 10 Boyd’s confidence was encouraging today – he looked menacing when he picked up the ball and charged at United. He forced a remarkable save out of De Gea in the early stages. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Joey Barton – 5 out of 10 Unlike we expect from Barton, he was giving the ball away far too often today. His passing was wasteful. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Jeff Hendrick – 6 out of 10 He was picking up the ball in the middle and charging into the United half confidently, which was starting the majority of Burnley moves. Encouraging to see. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Robbie Brady – 6 out of 10 As always, Brady’s deliveries were on point, which would have been lethal had United not been so dominant in the air. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Andre Gray – 6 out of 10 The striker made space for himself, ran the channels and always provided an outlet for the midfielders. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Ashley Barnes – 4 out of 10 You would be excused for not realising that Barnes was out there today. He looked lost and failed to make an impact on this fixture. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings David De Gea – 6 out of 10 It was a relatively straight forward day at the office for De Gea, with very few Burnley moves going forward. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Ashley Young – 7 out of 10 He did well defensively, but he certainly proved problematic for Burnley going forward. He was pacey and pumped balls up to the strikers. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Eric Bailly – 6 out of 10 He defended well throughout, but he appeared to pick up a knock towards the end. Mourinho will be hoping that it is nothing serious. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Daley Blind – 6 out of 10 He stood up well when Burnley attacked, rather than just lunging into the challenges. This stopped countless moves from The Clarets going forward. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Matteo Darmian – 6 out of 10 Was dragged out of position from time-to-time, which allowed the Burnley wide players too much space. However, on the ball he done well and started United moves from the back. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Ander Herrera – 7 out of 10 He was a key element to almost every United move going forward. He assisted Martial’s opener. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Marouane Fellaini – 5 out of 10 He continued to give away unnecessary fouls today, which provided Burnley their best chances of the game. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Paul Pogba – 7 out of 10 The Frenchman ran the midfield today. He was picking up possession and pumping balls up to the forwards continuously. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Jesse Lingard – 7 out of 10 His excellent ability to read the game was evident. He used the width well and opened the game up, at times. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Anthony Martial – 8 out of 10 He was by far United’s best player today. He scored the first, assisted the second and proved himself to be a fitting replacement for the injured Ibrahimovic. Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings Wayne Rooney – 6 out of 10 The 31-year-old scored United’s second, but aside from that he played very narrow which limited the options that they had going forward.

Winning the Europa League, which Jose Mourinho has long seen as Manchester United’s best route to the Champions League, would become a secondary option.

“It is going to be the game of the season,” Herrera said. “We are one point behind them. If we win, we have the chance to finish in the top four. If they win, it is going to be very difficult.

“Is it make or break? Probably. Whoever wins is not going to lose a lot of games or make mistakes after that. It’s us or them. It is going to be key.”

Not since October and a 4-0 rout at Stamford Bridge, have Manchester United lost in the league and they meet a City side coming to terms with the fact that Guardiola’s first Premier League season will end trophy-less.

Should United win, Manchester City might finish outside the Champions League places, which for a club that has invested so heavily in players, infrastructure and management, would be galling.

“I don’t know the expression ‘winner takes all’ but it is going to be a massive game,” said Herrera, who brilliantly set up Anthony Martial’s opening goal in Sunday’s 2-0 win at Burnley a week after neutralising Eden Hazard in the victory over Chelsea.

“We are in a very good moment,” he added. “We respect them but we are doing a lot of good things and we have to show it on Thursday.”

Although Zlatan Ibrahimovic will take no further part in the season, Juan Mata, who has not played for a month because of injury, wrote on his website that he hoped to return before the end of the campaign, although the Manchester derby will come too soon.

Of all the players in Mourinho’s squad, Herrera is probably the least confident that Manchester United will reach the Europa League final in Stockholm.

Their semi-final opponents, Celta Vigo, may not be in great form – their only win in their last four games in La Liga has been against Tony Adams’s Granada.

However, they have beaten Barcelona and drawn with Real Madrid in their own Balaidos Stadium and Celta have a strong emotional pull for Herrera – his father, Pedro, played for the club and served as its general manager.