Manchester United welcome Manchester City to Old Trafford on
Sunday as local rival will meet for the fourth time in the space of
three months this weekend.
Red Devils currently boast the bragging rights for the season with
two wins to one, but they sit 15 points behind Pep Guardiola men in the
Premier League table and know that anything other than a victory could
harm their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Team News
Manchester
United come into this game with some significant injuries that could
severely weaken their team on the weekend with skipper Harryb
Maguire rolled his ankle in training this week and missed the Derby game
on Thursday, leaving him a major doubt.
Other doubts include Aaron Wan-Bissaka (back) and Daniel James
(knock) who both were sidelined in the week and may not be available.
The trio join star players Marcus Rashford (back) and Paul Pogba (ankle) on the injury list.
Meanwhile, City will be sweating on the availability of star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne. Having sat out Wednesday’s win with back problems.
The derby comes too soon for Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane, though,
with the latter still working towards match fitness having been
sidelined since August with a knee injury.
Head to Head
Unusually, the home side has failed to win seven of the last eight
editions of this fixture, with one draw and six away victories in that
time.
That includes three consecutive Man City victories at Old Trafford in
all competitions, and another away win this weekend would see United
lose four home derbies in a row for the first time since February 1931.
On the flip side, United could win back-to-back matches against Man
City for the first time in a decade, while 2009-10 was also the last
time the Red Devils did the double over their local rivals.
The reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium saw Rashford and Martial
earn United 2-1 win in December, with Nicolas Otamendi pulling a goal
back for Man City.
Man Utd possible starting lineup: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Matic, Fred; James, Fernandes, Martial; Ighalo
Man City possible starting lineup: Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Fernandinho, Mendy; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Mahrez, Aguero, Sterling
Prediction: Man Utd 1-2 Man City
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