Manchester United will visit their neighbours for the first time under Erik Ten Hag’s reign and a victory would pave the way for United to finally establish their road to the championship trophy.
Only two teams remain unbeaten in the league and one of them is Manchester City. Having drawn two games already, they currently sit on the 2nd position with a one point gap with the league leaders- Arsenal. The last time these two heavyweights faced in the league, Manchester City demolished United with a 4-1 scoreline. Our new signing last season- Jadon Sancho scored an empathetic goal to silence the crowd but it was short-lived. Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez both scored a brace to lead their teams to a very important victory.
With John Stones injured due to hamstring injury, their new signing- Manuel Akanji might get the golden opportunity to feature. However, Nathan Ake looks like the probability to start over their new summer signing.
Rafael Varane is fully fit to feature against our bitter foes. Martinez and Varane’s centre back duo is once again expected to perform well especially when it comes to such an important game in the calendar. Bruno Fernandes and Eriksen are once again ready to control the game from the midfield. David De Gea remains untouched in his designated position, meanwhile, the defensive full-backs are also expected to remain unchanged.
The main concern revolves around the fact whether Erik Ten Hag will give Ronaldo the opportunity to start against City as Marcus Rashford looks as if he regained his form. Antony on the other hand is also expected to feature alongside Jadon Sancho on the attacking flanks. The squad depth remains solidified both offensively and defensively as Casemiro and Elanga remains as the two options in their designated positions.
When and Where-
DATE – 2nd October 2022
TIME– 2 PM GMT
VENUE– Etihad Stadium
Match Prediction
United seems like a team that has improved a lot in these few months. However, with Haaland’s form this season with already 11 goals, it looks very difficult to stop him from scoring in the Derby. However, with the magic that both Bruno and Eriksen possesses, United is a team that will possess equal amount of threat to their defence as well. It’s a game that can go either way!
Manchester City 2-2 Manchester United
