Football rivalry around the globe make this spot different than any other. The history between the clubs, 90 minutes of intense football is a perfect recipe for such derbies.
This Sunday afternoon the eyes of footballing fans in England will be fixed firmly at the Etihad Stadium for one of the most anticipated match of the English Premier League calendar.
All the major English sports dailies will concentrate their full attention on the clash, covering everything from personal storylines to the tactical battles.
The coaches and players will be scrutinised, the fans will be fervent and the neutrals will be enraptured.
The last meeting held between the two sides was on 6th March 2022. The match finished 4-1 in favor of Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola side have struggled on home soil against their noisy neighbors Manchester United and have preferred facing the Red Devils at Old trafford. In his last three home games against his rivals, he has won one and lost two. This will be Erik ten hag first Manchester derby as the manager for the Red Devils.
His records against the big sides is never in doubt, in his first season in the Premier League, he had a win over Liverpool and Arsenal. In the last four matches, all of which brought victories, United have been far more direct, with a greater emphasis on turning defence into attack more quickly.
In matches like this, players rise to the occasion. Now talking about players to watch is, Erling Brandt Haaland. The Norwegian will be leading the line for Manchester City and this will be his first Manchester derby. The top striker has scored remarkable 14 goals in nine games, “ I can’t wait to play my first derby with Manchester City, it will be fun. I can’t wait for them to arrive at our stadium. I hope everyone in the club are ready for the match and attacking at the same time,” Haaland said.
On the side of Manchester United the player to watch is Marcus Ransford. The prolific striker with great potential and he is the player Manchester City have to keep a close eyes on. Scoring 3 goals in 8 matches, he has been the main man for the Red Devils this season and winning the player of the month of September.
Pep’s side will be without his 3 key players, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Kelvin Philips who are likely to miss this derby due to injury, Ten hag side will be missing the services of Harry Maguire due to injury. Going into this game, the home side have won all their home matches this season and are riding on the back of a undefeated run in their last home match under the tutelage of master tactician with vast intellectual acumen, coach Pep Guardiola.
In this derby , a win for Manchester City will give them consecutive home wins against their rivals for the first time under Pep. And a win for the Red Devils will make them boast more wins against their rivals to 25 wins in 51 matches played between the two.
Fans of both teams will be expecting a good performance from their sides. Can the blue side of Manchester have consecutive home against their rivals for the first time in the English Premier League history? Or will Ten hag and his boys extend their winning streak to five wins in a row? After 90 minutes of end to end action , that is where we can get the answers to this questions. Great derby ahead.
By: Gideon Amoah
