As has become the pattern over the last decade, Manchester City enter the derby against adversaries Manchester United as favourites, but unusually, that’s not attributed to their present form. After a 2-0 defeat to Juventus in the UEFA Champions League midweek, Pep Guardiola’s side have now endured seven losses from their last ten matches across all competitions (W1, D2) – as many as in their prior 105 games!
That leaves the defending champions eight points behind the pace of leaders Liverpool having played one more match heading into the weekend, so a fifth consecutive title now seems implausible. Reclaiming bragging rights in Manchester after last year’s FA Cup final defeat remains crucial however, so City supporters will be optimistic by the fact they’ve won five of the last six Premier League H2Hs (L1), while only once have they been defeated at the Etihad Stadium this term (W7, D3).
Ruben Amorim’s first experience of the Manchester derby comes after a comeback 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzeň on Thursday, which not only ended a two-match losing run but made the Portuguese just the third manager in club history to win his first two European fixtures in charge. He’ll hope that’s not the only way he follows in the footsteps of Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby, though the last time United lost four consecutive visits to City was under Busby between 1952 and 1955!
That’s a fate that could face United here if they can’t capitalize on their first away win since mid-September (D5, L2). The Red Devils haven’t won back-to-back on the road since February, so their chances of rising in the table seem limited as Amorim pursues a unique piece of history, as he could become just the second manager to defeat the reigning Premier League champions with different teams in the same season.
Players to watch: Manchester City duo Erling Haaland and Phil Foden are striving for success here, as they both sit just two short of Sergio Agüero’s club record tally of eight goals for the club in Premier League Manchester derbies. United captain Bruno Fernandes assisted their winning goal late on Thursday and could be crucial for the visitors having assisted a goal in each of his last three H2Hs.
Hot stat: Since the start of November, no side across Europe’s traditional top-five leagues have allowed as many goals as Manchester City (21).
