Can Man Utd Repeat Last Season’s Victory?

The Manchester derby is the headline fixture this weekend and it is a huge game for both sides. Manchester City have already had a couple of poor league results and they can’t afford to lose this weekend if they are to dominate this season. Meanwhile, Manchester United are currently outside of the top six and will be concerned at being cut adrift. There are more teams competing for the top four this season, which means that there is a smaller margin for error. Last season, it was easier than normal to get into those positions.

Manchester United have had a lot happen already this season. There have been several off-field issues for the club to deal with, while there have been some poor results on the pitch. During the week, their win over Copenhagen was important as it kept their hopes alive of reaching the knockout rounds of the Champions League. The heroes were Andre Onana and Harry Maguire, which was positive for the club, as both players have been through adversity in recent months. It will be hoped that they can both push on now.

Although City have started the season in good form, there have been cracks and Manchester United will be looking to exploit those on Sunday. The loss to Wolves was a big blow and showed that this side wasn’t unbeatable. Pep Guardiola normally tries to get his team to peak at the business end of the season, which means they are always vulnerable at this time of year. That being said, they are still the best team in the world and are the clear favourites to win this weekend.

Interesting stats

Bruno Fernandes has scored in his last two Manchester derbies. No Manchester United player has scored in three successive derbies since Paul Scholes in 2003-4.

Manchester City have won more times at Old Trafford than any other visiting team in the Premier League with eight victories in total.

Key men

Rashford

It hasn’t been a start to the season to remember for Marcus Rashford. He has been very poor and fallen way below the standards he set last season. There was a period where he was arguably the most in-form player in Europe at the start of 2023. His issue throughout his career has been finding a level of consistency. At the age of 25, it is time for him to get to those levels consistently. Despite a slow start, there is plenty of time left in the campaign and one performance could lead to a change in his fortunes. His one goal and one assist isn’t a great contribution, but he remains a real threat this weekend. Manchester City are always vulnerable to counter attacks and Rashford performs best when he has space to operate in. He will get chances to run at Kyle Walker in a one-on-one situation. It won’t be easy, but it is a duel he can win. The academy graduate has scored five times in this fixture.

Haaland

It hasn’t been as devastating start to the season for Erling Haaland in his second campaign in England. That said, he is still the league’s top scorer with nine goals and is still averaging one per game. It speaks volumes about how impressive his debut season was that we expect even more from him. This weekend will motivate Haaland, as he steps up in the big matches and will want to have another big contribution in a Manchester derby. Last season, he scored a hat-trick in the match at the Etihad Stadium, but he didn’t get on the score sheet at Old Trafford. Due to this, there will be even more hunger to play a big role on Sunday. He hasn’t scored at the famous ground yet and it will be something he wants to do sooner rather than later. In recent weeks, United have conceded a lot of shots inside their penalty area. Haaland should get plenty of chances this weekend.

Team news

Aaron Wan-Bissaka is back in training, but it would be surprising if he returned to the starting eleven in this game. Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho and Luke Shaw are all injured.

Manuel Akanji will be serving his one-match suspension following his red card last weekend. Ruben Dias could return to the Premier League starting eleven. Kevin de Bruyne is the only player missing through injury.

Verdict

Manchester United have conceded lots of chances to Sheffield United and Copenhagen in the last week. Both games were not controlled and they were fortunate to get two wins. Erik ten Hag needs his team to be able to control games better, as matches are too end-to-end at the moment. Manchester City is a big step up from those two teams, so significant improvement is needed. The derby might bring more out of the squad, but on form lines, it should be a comfortable away win.

Manchester United 1-3 Manchester City