Premier League: Manchester Derby Means More Bad News for Somebody!

Manchester City vs Manchester United

It will be one of the most watched sporting events of the weekend and there will be plenty of nervous souls around the Etihad Stadium when Premier League: Manchester City vs Manchester United kicks off on Sunday.  

Never, in my memory, has the Manchester derby seen both clubs in some level of turmoil at the same time. For almost two decades the Red Devils were the top dogs in England and then, for the last ten years the Sky Blues have been totally dominant but, right now, neither is in a particularly good place. 

The Sky Blues drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace last week and then lost 2-0 away to Juventus in the Champions League, while the Red Devils come into the game with back-to-back league losses. Somebody is going to be happy on Sunday but for the losers, or for the Sky Blue fans if they are held to a draw, Monday morning is going to be pretty miserable!     

 

Talking Points

Sky Blues seek as second win in ELEVEN!

At SBOTOP odds of 1.49 to win this Manchester derby you’d expect, in normal times, this to be a stroll in the park for Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues (with apologies to our friend and colleague James, a Red Devils fan). But these are not normal times and anything could happen. Who would have dreamt that City would fall to a seventh defeat in ten games when they met Juventus on Wednesday night? But they did; and that also means the Sky Blues have won just one game in ten. Those seven losses are as many as Guardiola has suffered in his last 105 matches at the Etihad but, having just signed a two year extension to his contract I’m sure the Spaniard will be working night and day to put things right.

City dominated possession in the first half in Turin, much as they have in the last ten games, but they managed just one shot on target, one you would usually expect Erling Haaland to bury. But second half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie put the Sky Blues in serious danger of early elimination. His team’s confidence is shot and Guardiola needs a quick turnaround at home and in Europe, starting on Sunday, and the latest Manchester City vs Manchester United odds say they will. Phil Foden was an unused substitute in the match against Juventus but I suspect the manager will want a Manchester lad in his side for this huge local derby.  

But, in any case, the Sky Blues fans will be more nervous than ever when kick-off approaches at 4-30 pm. 

 

Red Devils face more player turnover

While their local neighbours have plenty of problems to sort out, the turmoil at Manchester United seems to be more engrained and new manager Ruben Amorin needs time to improve matters on the pitch. The departure of Dan Ashworth from Manchester United last week simply shone a light more brightly on the dysfunctional set-up and, this morning, it has emerged that Ashworth might be in line to join Arsenal. The proud club has been in disarray from top to bottom for a number of years now, spending over half a billion pounds net over the last five years, and the involvement of Sir Jim Ratcliffe is yet to make a difference.

The owners and fans will need to be patient and give Amorin time, but the January transfer window is critical in terms of player movement. United need to move players out in order to give the manager money to spend and England forward Marcus Rashford is on the list of players the Red Devils want to move on. They were reported to be willing to sell the 27 year old in the summer but there were no buyers for a striker who has not progressed over the past two or three years. If Rashford’s form improves then maybe United will change their minds but, as things stand, he can be filed among the likes of Joshua Zirkzee, Antony and Rasmus Hojlund who have been anything but impressive this term.       

 

History

The Red Devils are still ahead in the head to head Manchester City vs Manchester United results, but the gap has narrowed to 32 victories to 26. The Sky Blues have won four of the last five encounters including a 3-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium last March as Foden scored a brace.     

With three wins, one draw and two defeats United are arguably in better shape than City who have won one, drawn two and lost three in that period…but I’m not sure what that tells us!    

 

Betting Tip

The draw is priced at 4.11 and Manchester United are at 4.74 to heap more pressure on the Sky Blues, but while the Red Devils are seriously short of quality at the moment, I wonder how long City’s poor run will continue. I have a feeling we’ll see the Blue Moon make a long awaited appearance on Sunday.    

   

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