Manchester United-Manchester City is a match valid for the 20th day of the Premier League and is played on Saturday at 1:30pm: TV, formations, predictions
A little more than three months have passed since that humiliating 6-3 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, a defeat that was much more clear-cut than the final result might suggest – the Red Devils made it less bitter by scoring two goals in the final minutes – and one that is destined to remain engraved in the history of the eternal rivalry between Manchester City and Manchester United.
The side that took the field in the derby first leg, however, did not even remotely resemble the United we have come to know in the matches played in the run-up to the World Cup break. At that time Erik ten Hag had not yet managed to make an impact, to convey his ideas to the team. The serenity of today was only a chimera and in front of the locker room the words ‘work in progress’ stood out, with the Ronaldo question holding sway. Three months later, the change is evident and not only because the club has resolved the CR7 grana, agreeing with the Portuguese to terminate his contract. The former Ajax coach has finally ‘tidied up’ and found the right balance, making the most of the characteristics of players such as Casemiro, Martinez, Eriksen and especially Rashford, one of the great protagonists – to the sound of goals – of Manchester United’s comeback.
Eight wins in a row for Manchester United
Today the Red Devils are by far the fittest and most consistent team in the Premier League, and they arrive at the eagerly awaited Old Trafford clash on the back of eight consecutive victories between competitions. Since the start of the season, United have won consistently, scoring 15 goals in six games and conceding barely one.
A winning streak that has taken United back to fourth place – they have 35 points like Newcastle – four points behind their ‘cousins’. Pep Guardiola’s battleship, on the other hand, is trying to catch up with first-placed Arsenal, currently +5 from the Citizens, who are struggling to find continuity. In the midst of the victories against Leeds and Chelsea (beaten twice in the space of a few days), the missteps against Everton (1-1) in the Premier League and Southampton (2-0) in the League Cup are notable: the defeat – the fourth of the season – suffered this week against the Saints, the league’s bottom of the table, costing them elimination from the League Cup. The Catalan coach perhaps paid the price for the choice of keeping Erling Haaland on the bench, the striker with 21 in 16 games, who scored a hat-trick in the derby against United in the first leg.
The Prediction
The derby seems to come at the right time for Manchester United, who will test their growth in terms of play and results against the strongest and best equipped team in the Premier League. The pressure in the Old Trafford challenge is all on the shoulders of Manchester City, who will have to pick themselves up immediately after the League Cup debacle with Southampton. The Citizens, who have always beaten United in their last three clashes, cannot afford to lose further ground to Arsenal. The feeling is that it will be a much more balanced game than the first leg, which is difficult to decipher. The certainty, however, is the goals: both are likely to score at least one on each side.
The Manchester United-Manchester City line-up probables
- MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Shaw, Malacia; Eriksen, Casemiro; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Martial.
- MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-2
