It cannot get any bigger this one this weekend with an eternal rivalry set to be rekindled for the umpteenth time at Old Trafford this weekend. It is fire versus ice. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer versus Pep Guardiola. City-United is a city divided as 22 men griddle their loins to make an attempt at painting Manchester either red or blue. The onus of responsibility lies within them to determine the sort of headline they'd want with both clubs approaching the game on the back on respective blips.
Hosts Manchester United couldbe handed the best confidence booster with a favourable outcome as several reports in the build-up to the clash suggest that the result of the weekend's derby would have a direct effect on the status and future of club manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Under the surpervision of the Norwegian coach, the Red Devils have only shown blips of the class that should primarily characterize their game. Inconsistency has been the order of the day and shouts for a potential 14th Premier League title has considerably diminished as a result of the topsy-turvy ride the have had in the ongoing campaign despite making serious reinforcement ahead of the season.
Manchester United approach the weekend's derby off the back of a 2-2 draw in the midweek's Champions League clash with Atalanta. Once again, individual brilliance kept the Red Devils out of the trenches as Cristiano. Ronaldo scored in the latter stages of both halves of the encounter to save a point from his side. In the Premier League, they will be poised to make it two wins in two after seeing off Tottenham Hotspur via a 2-0 win last weekend. With just three points separating them from their cross-town nemesis in blue, it needs no mentioning how colossal a win will be for the Ole and his brigade. A defeat could see them go eight points behind league-leaders Chelsea with whom they have a tricky clash with after the international break.
For the blue half of Manchester, the mission will be to lay the foundation for a better run of form. Prior to defeating Club Brugge 4-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, the Citizens had gone on a two game winless run. The first was a defeat to West Ham which ultimately ended a five-year unbeaten run in the Carabao Cup. The weekend that followed the disappointing exit was also not a good one with Crystal Palace coming to town and upsetting the odds to snatch a 2-0 win. Up until last weekend, they had not been defeated in the premiership since falling to Tottenham Hotspur in the first game of the season.
Manager Pep Guardiola certainly understand the full scope of the test before him and with the stakes rising, he will be eager to outwit Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this time. The latter leads by one win in the head-to-head comparison between the two managers after meeting eight times.
Form guide
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Manchester United in their last 10 matches across all competitions: W4 D2 L4
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Manchester City in their last 10 matches across all competitions: W6 D1 L3.
Predicted starting XI
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Manchester United: De Gea; Bailly, Lindelof, Maguire; Wan-Bissaka, McTominay, Fred, Shaw; Fernandes; Ronaldo, Cavani.
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Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Cancelo; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Jesus, Foden, Grealish.
Broadcast information
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
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