An in-form Manchester United welcome neighbours Manchester City to the Theater of Dreams for a lunchtime battle for Manchester. At stake are three precious points that will have a telling impact on the race for the Premier League title. The Reds have 4 PL wins in a row while Man City have stumbled in their last five games. Nonetheless, a very interesting game of football is promised on Saturday afternoon with two talented managers bringing their charges to the pitch for 90+ minutes of action.
Team News
Manchester United
Donny van de Beek and Jadon Sancho remain out with no real clarity on their returns. Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial are expected to be okay for Saturday’s game despite being rested against Charlton on Tuesday.
Manchester City
For City, Ruben Dias remains out injured for the derby. John Stones is also a doubt after being described as “not fully fit” after the game against Southampton.
What to Expect
Erik Ten Hag finally has his squad cooking like he wants them to and they seem to be improving on various aspects of their game with each passing game. The rejuvenation of Marcus Rashford has been a focal point for the Reds. The England international has scored in each of his last three PL games and would look to make it four against City. His good form may be what people are talking about but the good work of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen is also very instrumental in this good run for the team. Against City, they come into the game fearless and without any real concerns as to whether they can come away with all three points.
The 2-0 loss to Southampton in the Carabao Cup – a competition they dominated came as a surprise to many. The Cityzens failed to muster a single shot on target in a lethargic first-half performance against the Saints. Since the restart, Guardiola’s men have had to dig deep for results and might just have to do the same for Saturday’s lunchtime kickoff. It’s fair to say that Guardiola would deploy his best players out there with an eye on the fixture list after playing three times in the last eight days. Erling Haaland struggled against Southampton, which saw the City’s attack looking virtually non-existent. That being said, it only takes one chance to win a derby and the tools available to the master technician are some of the very best in the wide world.
Predicted Starting XIs
Manchester United: De Gea; Wan Bissaka, Martinez, Varane, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen, Fernandes; Antony, Rashford, Martial.
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Laporte,Cancelo; Rodri, De Bruyne,Silva; Mahrez, Foden, Haaland.
