Patrick Rees
So the day is nearing and the spectators are waiting like anything for the first Manchester derby of the Jose-Pep era in the Premier League. The two tactical minds will be colliding for the first time in the Premier League and that will surely be a bang.
Both the clubs have started their season on a high note as both are sharing the top spot with three victories at their stake. But what separates these two giants is the amount of goals they have conceded. Manchester United are having a great record defensively as they have conceded just one goal in the league, while their rivals have conceded three.
The derbies are always interesting, but what will make this fixture more interesting will be the touchline antiques of the two managers. Furthermore, if looking at their head to head encounters, Pep Guardiola lies ahead of the Portuguese, but this time around, many have predicted that United carry an upper hand as Mourinho is well experienced about the Premier League than Pep Guardiola.
Jose vs Pep head to head:
Matches played: 16
Guardiola: 7
Mourinho: 3
Drawn: 6
Manchester United vs Manchester City team-news:
The one and only major doubt for the Red half of the city is their new acquisition Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder, who is yet to start a Premier League fixture, picked up a thigh problem during Armenia’s 3-0 defeat to Czech Republic and returned to Carrington early for treatment.
Besides him, the manager does not really have any injury concerns as the midfielder Marouane Fellaini has now returned to the squad. The 28-year-old was diagnosed with a back problem soon after the game against Hull City, but the Belgian recently played 84 minutes for his country against Cyprus and he is now looking set to start the game.
Furthermore, Luke Shaw might retain his place as well. The 21-year-old left back was withdrawn from the England squad in Slovakia due to an ache in his calf but boss Sam Allardyce said the left back’s return to Manchester was just a precautionary measure.
The Blue halves will be without the service of their star man Sergio Aguero, who will be serving the first of a three-match ban on Saturday. Furthermore, Bacary Sagna should be in contention after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogan are now fit and may make their debuts along with the goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
Captain Vincent Kompany is back in full training following a thigh problem, but the club is unlikely to rush the injury-plagued defender back to action.
Predicted Lineups:
Manchester United-
De Gea
Valencia; Bailly; Blind; Shaw
Fellaini; Pogba
Mata; Rooney; Martial
Ibrahimovic
Manchester City-
Bravo
Zabaleta; Otamendi; Stones; Clichy
David Silva; Fernandinho; De Bruyne
Sterling; Iheanacho; Nolito
Stats: (Taken from FourFourTwo)
- After losing four Premier League Manchester derbies in a row, Manchester United are unbeaten in their last three against City (W2 D1).
- The Citizens failed to score in both Manchester derbies last season. They’ve not failed to score in three consecutive league meetings with Man Utd since October 1995 (a run of four).
- The Red Devils have lost three of their last five home league meetings with Man City (W1 D1), more than they’d lost in the previous 29 (W15 D12 L2).
- Manchester City could secure their 50th Manchester derby win in all competitions with victory. Manchester United have recorded 70 wins (51 draws).
- Manchester City won the last Manchester derby in which both clubs had new managers – 4-1 in September 2013 (Pellegrini and Moyes).
- This is only the second time in league history that both Manchester City and Manchester United have won their opening three games in the same season. It also happened in 2011/12, when Manchester City won the league and Manchester United finished second.
- Marcus Rashford scored the winner in the Manchester derby back in March, becoming the youngest player to score in a Premier League Manchester derby (18y 141d).
- Rashford is also the youngest player to score a Premier League goal under the management of Jose Mourinho, thanks to his winner against Hull (18y 300d).
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored 41 times in his 34 league games since the start of last season.
- This is only the second time that both Manchester clubs have won their opening three league games. The other occasion was in 2011, when City went on to claim the title ahead of United on the final day.
- Wayne Rooney has scored 11 goals in Manchester derbies – more than any other player in this fixture.
- Pep Guardiola is the first Manchester City manager to win his opening five matches in charge of the club.
Prediction-
Predicting a derby has always been a cagey thing. While Manchester United are having a great defensive record, the Citizen are carrying a threatening offensive record. They bagged two goals against the Black Cats, then thrashed the Potters with four goals and went on to humiliate West Ham with three goals.
All eyes will be on how Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola will fare in the game. Unlike the last couple of seasons, this game will bring more excitement and more drama, but as many have suggested, we too believe that United might clinch the winner.
2-1 United
