MANCHESTER UNITED make the short trip to rivals City this Sunday desperate to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag’s side have been something of a punching bag for their noisy neighbours in recent years, losing five of their last six Manchester derbies.
After a mini-revival of late, the Red Devils’ troubles were placed back under a microscope last weekend, when they meekly lost 2-1 to Fulham at Old Trafford.
Following Alex Iwobi’s 97th minute, Jamie Carragher prepared a segment on Man Utd’s baffling tactics for Monday Night Football.
The former Liverpool star highlighted the mixed messages that appear to have spread through United’s team – with attacking players trying to press but defenders sitting deep – leaving a chasm of space in the middle.
Under-fire Ten Hag subsequently hit back, trying to claim that Carragher’s analysis of his side is seldom objective.
But should he oversee another hiding at the hands of City, fans will not be impressed by the Dutchman’s excuses.
Man Utd will likely try to play through Bruno Fernandes, as they often do, this weekend.
Following last night’s 1-0 FA Cup win at Nottingham Forest Ten Hag launched a defence of his playmaker’s frequent play-acting.
United insiders were even upset by a video posted by Fulham last weekend, which appeared to mock the Portuguese’s penchant for rolling around.
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The Old Trafford faithful largely back their attacking midfield talisman in the same impassioned way that Ten Hag did.
And if he can somehow bag a winner at the Etihad this weekend, surely Fernandes will feel every right to shush his detractors.
What is their form like?
Prior to last weekend, Man Utd had strung four wins together on the trot in the Premier League.
The mini-revival had fans dreaming of making what had seemed an unlikely push to towards the top four.
But they were sent crashing back down to earth last weekend, by losing 2-1 at home to Fulham.
They quickly bounced back by grabbing a late 1-0 FA Cup win against Nottingham Forest in mid-week.
Man City, meanwhile trounced Luton 6-2 at Kenilworth Road to book their cup quarter-final place, with Erling Haaland grabbing a stunning five-goal haul.
They have won 14 of their last 15 games in all competitions, with the sole exception being last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad.
What is the team news?
Erik ten Hag will remain without a number of long-term absentees.
Mason Mount, Anthony Martial, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez are all sidelined.
Rasmus Hojlund is recovering from a recent muscular injury, while Luke Shaw will miss out due to a thigh strain.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka suffered an injury in training earlier this month, but Harry Maguire could return after missing the clash with Forest.
As for City, Jack Grealish is set to miss out after sustaining a further injury set-back against Luton.
After the game, Guardiola said: “I didn’t speak to the doctor yet but I think he complained about the groin, so maybe quite similar.”
Man City may be boosted by a return for Josko Gvardiol, who has been out in recent weeks with an ankle injury.
Who will be the star men?
Man Utd are likely to be dominated by their rivals, and will need to defend resolutely.
If they are to nick a win, however, they need a spark going forward.
With Marcus Rashford still misfiring and Hojlund out, Fernandes will be the man that Ten Hag will hope can conjure up a piece of match-winning magic.
As for City, it’s hard to look past Haaland.
The Norwegian scored five times against helpless Luton in mid-week, and would love nothing more than to take that form into Sunday’s derby.
What have the managers said?
Ten Hag was delighted with his side’s last-gasp win at Forest in mid-week.
After the game, the Dutchman said: “It’s the best time to score at the end. On Saturday, we felt defeat in stoppage time.
“Today, we scored just before the end of the time, so we scored at the right moment.”
Guardiola, meanwhile, has been thrilled with the link-up between Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
He said: “I think Erling needs a guy with the vision, the quality and generosity. Kevin is a less selfish player in front of the goal, and if he could have helped him score another one, he would do it.
“And Kevin needs the movement from Erling but of course we know how aggressive they are.”
SunSport prediction
It’s very difficult to look beyond a comfortable Man City win on Sunday, as they begin their march towards their Treble defence.
SunSport predicts: Man City 4 Man Utd 1
When is Man City vs Man Utd?
- Man City’s big derby clash with Man Utd will take place on Sunday, March 3.
- The game kicks off at 3.30pm GMT and will be held at the Etihad Stadium.
- The last time City played United, they won 3-0 at Old Trafford.
What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
Man City vs Man Utd will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event.
You can live stream the action on the Sky Go or NOW TV app, both of which are available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
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Odds
- Man City – 1/4
- Draw – 5/1
- Man Utd – 17/2
*Odds courtesy of Paddy Power and correct at time of publication.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
