Manchester United are finally getting back in action, after 17 long days without a single match. Erik ten Hag’s side has last time played on 15 September, in Moldova, beating Sheriff in the Europa League. Changes to the team’s schedule due to the death of Her Royal Highness The Queen Elizabeth II made things odd for United, who were without a Premier League game for full four weeks. Our run of four consecutive wins now seems so distant, but hopefully the performance of the Red Devils will be of a similar level as it was against Arsenal.
Team News
Pep Guardiola will not have too many problems for his ideal starting lineup. For this derby, he will be without Kalvin Phillips in midfield, due to a shoulder surgery. Aymeric Laporte is getting back after a knee injury, but the centre-back will probably be on the bench for this one. City could be without John Stones due to a tight hamstring he got on international duty, but with Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji in defence, this should not hurt them too much.
As for Man United, there are questions about who will start up front. Marcus Rashford is getting back from injury and could even start ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. Anthony Martial is also improving with his recovery, while Harry Maguire could miss out due to a hamstring problem he got while playing for England. As for those we will certainly not see in action, we could mention Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Donny van de Beek, Brandon Williams and Martin Dubravka.
Form Guide
It is hard to see Man United playing a team which is more in form than Man City. Despite not yet being top of the league, due to Arsenal’s slight advantage, Pep Guardiola’s side have been destroying opposition in their usual style. They won 17 points in the first seven matches of the Premier League season and they also won both of their Champions League games. After beating Crystal Palace 4-2 and Nottingham Forest 6-0, City were surprised by Aston Villa in a 1-1 draw. But since then, they got three comfortable wins. First there was the 4-0 away against Sevilla, a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund and then a 3-0 dispatching of Wolves at the Molineaux.
As for Man City, our form has not been so strong, but it has been much stronger than what we were used to in the past. After four consecutive wins in the league, Erik ten Hag’s side managed to climb up the Premier League ladder, before a 1-0 home loss to Real Sociedad surprised everyone in the Europa League. Since that match, United only played Sheriff in the same competition, winning comfortably 3-0 in Moldova. So talking about form is not as easy when you are 17 days without a match.
Predicted Outcome
Considering everything mentioned above and considering the way Guardiola’s team has been playing, this will be a difficult mission for our boys. We predict Manchester City will beat Manchester United 3-1, with Erling Haaland continuing to be a huge danger in front of the goal. Right now, it does not seem that United have what it needs to stop City, if City are to play to their level.