The 168th Manchester derby sees two teams in completely contrasting form clash in what is certain to be one of the biggest games of the season. For Manchester United, it will be a chance to build on their morale-boosting draw against Chelsea. The Red Devils will be looking to improve on their recent record in the derby that has seen them win just once in their last six Premier League meetings. While they might be without Wayne Rooney and Radamel Falcao, they should still have enough fire power to cause City enough problems.
Manchester City on the other hand, come in the derby on the back of two successive defeats following their 2-0 loss to Newcastle in the Fourth Round of the Capital One Cup. The reigning Premier League champions haven’t won since the middle of October and come into this crucial clash in bad form and their creator in chief, David Silva, a major doubt, after his knee injury against Newcastle on Wednesday.
Both teams know that victory will mean a lot more than just local bragging rights. A win for City would not only stem their bad run of results, but also keep them in touching distance of Chelsea. For United, a victory would not only give them their first away win of the season, but might also be the boost they need to kick on and win a flurry of games and get back into the top four.
Who wins will largely be decided on the battles that will be waged on the pitch. Here are the three main battles that will decide the outcome of the game on Sunday.
Sergio Aguero vs Manchester United’s centre backs
The top scorer in the League and one of the main candidates for the Golden Boot, Aguero has already scored 9 goals in the League this season and will be hoping to add to it on Sunday. The Red Devils don’t have the greatest of defensive records, but last week against Chelsea, they showed that they are very capable of being resolute defensively.
The Argentinean striker loves playing against United and has four goals from his five League games so far. With the Argentinean in great goal-scoring form, the centre backs will have to make sure that he doesn’t get an inch in or around the penalty area. For if he does, you wouldn’t bet against him punishing. But, if the visitors do manage keep him quiet, they will have put themselves in a great position to go on and possibly win the game.
Angel vs Pablo Zabaleta
For United to get anything out of the game, not only do they have to defend well, but will also have to create something going forward. And the man that Louis Van Gaal will turn to, to provide some inspiration will be the British transfer record signing Angel Di Maria. The Argentinean attacker has taken to life at Old Trafford like a duck to water and already has three goals and four assists in his seven League starts.
The man tasked with the responsibility of marking him will be his compatriot Pablo Zabaleta, who has arguably been the Premier League’s best right back in the last few seasons. Zabaleta will know an awful lot about Di Maria from their time with the national side, but with a player like him, knowing what he does and figuring out how to stop him is one thing, but actually going out and stopping him is an altogether different ball game. After a subdued performance against the Blues last weekend, Di Maria will be keen to shine on the big games and if he does, then given City’s shaky defence, United could well harbour legitimate hopes of winning the game.
Yaya Toure vs Marouane Fellaini
It says an awful lot about the form that the Ivorian is in, if Fellaini is actually seen as the better player ahead of the game on Sunday. While Toure has time and again shown what he is capable of doing, the problem that City have with him is getting him to be consistent over the duration of an entire season and not just a few games here and there. Far too often, he looks like someone who just couldn’t be bothered, which is precisely what happened against Newcastle in the Capital One Cup game on Wednesday.
Fellaini on the other hand has put together arguably his two best games for United, one after the other. While that isn’t much particularly given his performances last season, the fact that the Belgian is starting to play like a man with a lot of confidence is something that will certainly please Van Gaal. Against Chelsea, he basically marked Fabregas out of the game and he might well be given the same job against Toure. And if he can dominate the Ivorian like the Spaniard last weekend, the visitors will have the upper hand in midfield, which will be crucial to deciding who wins the game.
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