Siddharth Juyal
Premier League icon Peter Crouch gives a grim Manchester derby game prediction for Manchester United
Former Premier League player Peter Crouch shared his prediction for the Manchester United game against Manchester City at Old Trafford. The Manchester derby will be a true test for manager Erik ten Hag’s side that has accumulated three consecutive victories.
At the same time, the Citizens have lost three of their last six matches in all competitions. However, the blue side of Manchester will go into the match as firm favourites as United struggled overall this season.
The Red Devils have lost six games in all competitions so far this season while conceding 20 goals. Ten Hag has struggled to find balance within his senior team due to an injury crisis and inconsistent individual forms.
Crouch gave his prediction in The Peter Crouch Podcast (h/t Manchester City News) and suggested a convincing victory for City. He said:
“I’ve gone for 3-1 to City. I think United will score at home but I think City will be too strong for them. Defensively, I think they’re giving up chances, United, and I think City will gobble them up.”
The Red Devil’s tactical imbalance has cost them most of the games this season. When United uses an adventurous approach, they end up leaving a lot of space in the backline to exploit.
At the same time, when they apply a cautious approach, their creativity and ability to make critical chances diminish exponentially.
Furthermore, United’s attacking lineup has failed to deliver goals so far this season. The likes of Anthony Martial, Antony and Marcus Rashford have faced a lot of criticism for their poor contribution.
United have faced similar disruption in their defensive department with injuries to their first-choice centre-backs. The Red Devils won their last three games but the victories were anything but convincing.
FC Copenhagen took United by surprise and looked like a better team in many patches of the game. The Red Devils need to do better than how they performed in mid-week, to stand a chance against the Citizens.
More Manchester United News-
- Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho caught scrapping the Copenhagen penalty spot in stoppage time
- Gabby Agbonlahor says lot of Red Devils fans ‘owe apology’ to in-form Manchester United star
- “We had a few problems here”- Rasmus Hojlund makes admission on playing with Manchester United forwards in initial weeks
Many critics believe that Pep Guardiola’s men are suffering from treble hangover this season and have their injury concerns. United have a golden opportunity to capitalize on the situation as an underdog at Old Trafford with nothing to lose. However, Crouch’s assessment may come true as City’s team is far superior and cohesive than United’s.
