Manchester Derby Showdown: What to Expect
The Manchester Derby, taking place on Sunday, March 3, will see the city rivals clash at the Etihad Stadium. Both City and United are performing decently in the Premier League, but the Citizens are ahead with 59 points, 15 more than the ‘Red Devils’ of United.
Manchester Derby
The first match between these Manchester teams was played in 1881. That day, the game ended 3-0 in favor of Manchester United, then known as Newton Heath LYR. At that time, there were many different teams in the Manchester region. Over the years, the clubs became increasingly important in their city, gradually dominating football. Between 1888 and 1893, one of the two teams always won the Manchester Cup.
In total, the two clubs have played 191 matches across all competitions. United won 78, City 60, and the remaining 53 ended in a draw. The last encounter dates back to November 29th. Manchester City won that match 0-3 at Old Trafford. Erling Haaland opened the scoring from the penalty spot, and also headed in another goal early in the second half. Phil Foden sealed the final score in the 80th minute.
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club was founded in England in 1880. The original name was West Gorton Saint Marks. The club plays its home matches at the Etihad Stadium in the east of Manchester. Last year, the team won the UEFA Champions League for the first time. In the same year, they also won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, completing the international treble. Coach Pep Guardiola aims to achieve such glory again, but they’ll have to surpass Liverpool.
As mentioned earlier, Manchester City currently has 59 points, securing them second place in the English Premier League. Their last defeat was on December 6th, when Aston Villa scored in the 74th minute to seal a victory. Since then, they have won all their matches except for two draws against Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
Kevin De Bruyne had his first half of the season disrupted by a serious injury, but upon his return, the Belgian immediately reached top form. He has already scored 2 goals and provided 7 assists since his comeback. But Manchester City doesn’t rely solely on one star player: Erling Haaland and Phil Foden also contribute significantly to the team’s success. Norwegian Haaland has scored 17 goals for the Citizens this season, while British Foden has scored 9.
The Citizens will first play against Luton Town in the FA Cup this week. Luton is currently in 18th place in the Premier League, making City the clear favorites.
Manchester United
This English club was founded in 1878 and is the most successful team in English football. A significant part of their success is attributed to Sir Alex Ferguson, who joined the club as manager in 1986. United has won the English championship twenty times and was the first club to win the Premier League. Manchester United plays their home matches at Old Trafford.
Manchester United is currently in 6th place in the Premier League. In their last match, they lost 1-2 to Fulham, who are positioned 12th. It was United’s first defeat after a winning streak of 4 matches. Their last loss was on December 30th against Nottingham Forest, where they were defeated 2-1. This week, they will face Nottingham Forest again, this time in the FA Cup.
Key players for United include Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford. These young players have scored 7 and 5 goals respectively. However, United will have to do without Hojlund for a while as the Danish striker suffered an injury during training. Rashford’s future at United seems uncertain as he has recently been involved in off-field issues, including a car accident and missing a week of play after a wild night out. Coach Erik ten Hag calls it an internal matter and hopes to find a solution.
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