MANCHESTER CITY – MANCHESTER UNITED | Sunday 3pm
The Premier League Sunday opens with the third and final derby of a sparkling ninth day: Manchester City v Manchester United. Pep Guardiola’s battleship to reassert the hierarchies, which have been completely overturned for a decade now, and continue the pursuit of the leading Arsenal. The Red Devils, who are struggling to put things right under former Ajax coach Erik ten Hag, to continue their winning streak and move closer to fourth place. A year ago there was virtually no history in the two cross-city matches: both the first leg and the return went to the Citizens, who even had the luxury of a 4-1 victory at Old Trafford last March.
The Catalan coach is dreaming of another big statement, with the aim of boosting his side’s morale even further and trying to take the top spot in the table. He can do this because City have shown very few weaknesses in the first two months of the new season. Stealing the show has undoubtedly been Norwegian slinger Haaland, who has been the absolute star with his 11 goals in just seven league games. The former Borussia Dortmund centre-forward also had his hand in the latest home success against Wolverhampton, who were scrambled 0-3 at the Molineux. Manchester City, as well as having the best attack in the tournament (already 23 goals to their credit) are still undefeated: the only half-steps of the reigning English champions were the away draws against Newcastle and Aston Villa.
Ten Hag’s troop is still indecipherable, and after a shuddering start – a double defeat against Brighton and Brentford – they have strung together four victories in a row, taking themselves close to the Champions League zone, five points behind their city rivals. Less well in the Europa League, where United lost their debut match against Real Sociedad. Cristiano Ronaldo, who didn’t impress even with his Portugal side, will start from the bench again.
The Prediction
Scoring at the Etihad Stadium in recent years has become impossible for Manchester United, who have lost their last seven confrontations at City’s stadium. Clashes, by the way, always very prolific: Guardiola’s side have never scored less than three goals against their city rivals. The Red Devils are on the up, and will probably be less surrendering than last year, but the Citizens remain clear favourites for victory in a match that will not skimp on spectacle and excitement. At least three goals overall
Manchester City v Manchester United matchday squad
- MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Cancelo; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Foden, Haaland, Grealish.
- MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-0
