Manchester Derby: Meetings between Manchester United and Manchester City have developed from an afterthought to a top-of-the-table fight, and they are always entertaining.
The fact that City supporters argue that the Blues are the locals’ preference, while United supporters travel in from all over the UK and the world, adds to the intrigue.
City’s recent form is excellent, with Pep Guardiola’s team winning 21 of their last 24 matches in all competitions.
United’s most recent match ended in a goalless draw against Watford at Old Trafford, and they are presently fourth in the Premier League table.
United, on the other hand, has a strong recent record at the Etihad, having won their last three visits. It’s shaping up to be a tremendous matchup.
Which team will be victorious?
The Manchester Derby
The Manchester derby is a match between Manchester City and Manchester United that began in 1881 and is still played today. United plays at Old Trafford in Trafford, while City plays at the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester. The two stadiums are around 4 miles apart (6.4 km).
In all competitions, the teams have played 186 games, with United winning 77, City 56, and the remaining 53 games being drawn. Manchester United and Manchester City are two of England’s most successful clubs, with a combined total of 94 titles: a joint-record 66 for Manchester United and 28 for Manchester City.
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Team News
City’s only fit central defenders for Sunday’s Premier League clash against United will be John Stones and Aymeric Laporte, with Ruben Dias facing an extended layoff.
After injuring his hamstring in Tuesday’s 2-0 FA Cup win over Peterborough, the Portugal international could be out for up to six weeks. In the same game, fellow defender Nathan Ake suffered a less serious injury that will keep him out on Sunday.
Manager Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, reported no further difficulties and stated that forward Cole Palmer is close to returning.
Edinson Cavani, a striker for Manchester United, is due to make his first appearance in nearly a month.
The 35-year-old striker has not played since a 1-1 draw against Burnley on February 8, when he was forced to miss five games due to a groin injury.
Scott McTominay has missed two games due to illness, and interim manager Ralf Rangnick has said that United have “two or three question marks” behind some of their players. Mason Greenwood is still on the bench for the club.
Match Stats
Manchester United is attempting to win four straight away games in all competitions against Manchester City for the first time since November 1993 to November 2000.
Pep Guardiola has lost more home games against Manchester United in all competitions than he has against any other opponent in his managerial tenure (4).
The away team has won more Premier League matches between Manchester City and Manchester United than any other game in the competition’s history (21).
In his previous eight Premier League outings, Riyad Mahrez has been involved in nine goals, scoring six and assisting three. However, no team in the competition has faced the Algerian more times without scoring than Manchester United (11).
Raheem Sterling of Manchester City has yet to score in 18 Premier League games against Manchester United. Sterling has also failed to score against six other opponents in the league, having faced them 16 times in total. In fact, James Milner was the last Englishman to score for Man City in this match in April 2013.
H2H
There have been 186 competitive meetings between these teams as of November 6, 2021. United has 77 victories, City has 56, and the remaining 53 games have ended in ties.
City has won 6–1 on two occasions in the official league (both times in away games at Old Trafford): on January 23, 1926, and October 23, 2011. United defeated City 7–1 in a War League match at Maine Road on 14 April 1941, however because this was not an official match, the score is not regarded as the derby’s highest triumph.
Once each team has won 5–0. (City in 1955, United in 1994). The greatest crowd for a Manchester derby was 78,000 on September 20, 1947, when both clubs were playing at Maine Road while Old Trafford was being repaired after bomb damage received during WWII.
Top goalscorers
All statistics exclude the 1960–61 season’s abandoned match. Players in italics are still active for either Manchester City or Manchester United.
The Premier League rolls on as we continue league play.
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
Time and Date: Sunday 6 March 2022, Kickoff at 16:30 (GMT-UK) 11.30 am (EST, USA)
Referee: Michael Oliver.
Assistants: Simon Bennett, Scott Ledger
Fourth official: Andy Madley.
VAR: Stuart Attwell.
Assistant VAR: Darren Cann.
Prediction
Manchester City 2 – 1 Manchester United
