Premier League derby day is set to be marred by travel chaos as heavy snow continues to fall across the UK.

Liverpool are scheduled to host Merseyside rivals Everton at 2.15pm before Manchester United welcome league leaders City to Old Trafford, on a busy day of top-flight action which also sees Arsenal travel to Southampton.

The Met Office has already upgraded its weather warning from yellow to amber with eight inches of snow expected to fall in the region between 4am and 6pm on Sunday.

Combined XI: Manchester derby Show all 12 1 /12 Combined XI: Manchester derby Combined XI: Manchester derby Combined XI: Manchester derby Who makes our combined Manchester derby XI?



Remember: no players ruled out through injury or suspension allowed. Combined XI: Manchester derby David de Gea Manchester United Getty Combined XI: Manchester derby Kyle Walker Manchester City Getty Combined XI: Manchester derby Nicolas Otamendi Manchester City Getty Combined XI: Manchester derby Marcos Rojo Manchester United Getty Images Combined XI: Manchester derby Ashley Young Manchester United Getty Combined XI: Manchester derby David Silva Manchester City Getty Combined XI: Manchester derby Nemanja Matic Manchester United Getty Combined XI: Manchester derby Kevin De Bruyne Manchester City Getty Combined XI: Manchester derby Raheem Sterling Manchester City Getty Combined XI: Manchester derby Leroy Sané Manchester City Getty Combined XI: Manchester derby Sergio Aguero Manchester City Getty

There are growing fears that the heavy snowfall could spark safety concerns as well as significant travel problems.

United and City have urged their fans to arrive early for the Manchester derby, with turnstiles set to open two hours before kick-off. There will also be a substantial security operation in place, with fans urged not to bring bags. An alcohol exclusion zone will also be in force.

The adverse weather conditions are causing widespread disruption across the UK closing roads and grounding flights at an airport.

Severe weather is forecast for a swathe of North Wales and central England on Sunday and snow has already fallen on parts of Powys, Herefordshire and Shropshire at a rate of several centimetres an hour.

Significant build-ups have been also reported in Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Bedfordshire, while snow has been falling heavily in Birmingham city centre.

Flights have been suspended at Birmingham Airport while the runway is cleared, leaving passengers facing delays, while a north-bound section of the M1 has been closed in Leicestershire due to numerous vehicles being stranded.

Manchester United vs Manchester City derby classics Show all 8 1 /8 Manchester United vs Manchester City derby classics Manchester United vs Manchester City derby classics Manchester United 1 Manchester City 1, 21 April 2001 The point kept City’s hopes of Premier League survival temporarily alive but the game was overshadowed by Roy Keane’s horror challenge on Alf-Inge Haaland, which he later admitted was deliberate and ultimately ended the Norwegian’s career. Getty Images Manchester United vs Manchester City derby classics Manchester City 3 Manchester United 1, 9 November 2002 The game was the final Manchester derby at Maine Road and Gary Neville had never been so popular in the blue half of the city. His mistake allowed Shaun Goater to give City a half-time lead before he scored his 100th goal for the club to make it 3-1. Man Utd via Getty Images Manchester United vs Manchester City derby classics Manchester United 1 Manchester City 2, 10 February 2008 50 years on from the Munich air disaster which saw 23 people, including eight United players, die, the two clubs commemorated those lost with specially-made 1958-style shirts, number one to 11. Benjani’s header proved to be the difference between the two on the day. Getty Images Manchester United vs Manchester City derby classics Manchester United 4 Manchester City 3, 20 September 2009 Arguably the most exciting game on the list, a real topsy-turvy affair which saw two Darren Fletcher goals and two from Craig Bellamy – the first a screamer. The Welshman’s 90th-minute equaliser looked to have settled it, however Michael Owen scored after 96 minutes to ensure the spoils went to the Red half of Manchester. Man Utd via Getty Images Manchester United vs Manchester City derby classics Manchester City 0 Manchester United 1, 17 April 2010 In a largely uneventful derby, Paul Scholes’ late, and perfectly placed, header was the difference between the two Manchester clubs, earning United three points, and Scholes a big kiss from Gary Neville. Getty Images Manchester United vs Manchester City derby classics Manchester United 2 Manchester City 1, 12 February 2011 With 12 minutes of the derby remaining, Wayne Rooney provided probably the most iconic moment in derby history with a stunning overhead kick to claim all three points. Getty Images Manchester United vs Manchester City derby classics Manchester United 1 Manchester City 6, 23 October 2011 Manchester City inflicted upon United their worst home defeat since 1955 with Mario Balotelli’s infamous ‘Why always me?’ t-shirt the most memorable moment from the game. City went on to win the league that season by… eight goals. Man Utd via Getty Images Manchester United vs Manchester City derby classics Manchester City 2 Manchester United 3, 9 December 2012 Wayne Rooney’s two first-half goals put United ahead before they were pegged back to 2-2 through Yaya Toure and a late Pablo Zabaleta leveller. Up stepped Robin van Persie with an even later free-kick to beat Joe Hart via a Samir Nasri deflection. Getty Images

United manager Jose Mourinho cut a calm figure at his pre-match press conference on Friday but acknowledged external factors could decide the course of the game.

“Football is unpredictable, you can try you can try, me as a manager I can try to define a gameplan, to work in a direction but football is unpredictable,” he said.

“We don't know what can happen, there are so many things that are out of control that can totally transform the direction of the game.