Man United entered the Manchester derby with the home advantage of Old Trafford, but unstable form and a tight schedule put coach Michael Carrick's team at a big challenge. Meanwhile, Man City is having an impressive start and maintaining a good playing state.
Man United has only won 4 points after the first 3 rounds of the Premier League. Carrick's team started with a 0-2 defeat at Hull, then won against Ipswich 5-2 before being held to a 2-2 draw by Everton in the last minute.
Notably, Man United twice led Everton but could not maintain the advantage. This result shows that the Old Trafford team still has problems in maintaining concentration and controlling the match at decisive moments.
The attack is a bright spot but has not achieved the necessary stability. Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Marcus Rashford have the ability to create breakthroughs, but the connection between positions is not really smooth. Man United still lacks sharpness to finish the match when they have an advantage.
In the opposite direction, Man City won all matches against Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Coventry, scoring 7 goals and conceding only 2 goals. Although the 1-0 victory over Coventry was not too convincing, coach Enzo Maresca's team still showed their ability to control the game and win all 3 points.
Erling Haaland is the biggest threat to Man United's defense. The Norwegian striker scored in all 3 first rounds of the Premier League, before scoring a double to help Man City beat Porto 2-0 in the Champions League.
Man City is no longer completely dependent on Haaland. Rayan Cherki brings creativity in the midfield area, while Enzo Fernández quickly makes his mark. If Cherki has space to handle it, Man United's defense will face many dangers.
Man United's big advantage is Old Trafford. In the last time they welcomed Man City here in January, Carrick's team once won 2-0 even though they only controlled 28% of the ball. Tight defense and quick transition can continue to be suitable options for the home team.
Instead of competing for ball control with Man City, Man United is likely to narrow down the opponent's playing space and wait for counter-attack opportunities. The speed of Mbeumo, Rashford and Cunha could become important weapons.
However, the schedule is creating disadvantages for Man United. Carrick's team must meet Sabah in the Champions League before entering the derby. Meanwhile, Man City also plays in the Champions League but the match against Porto takes place earlier, giving the away team more time to recover.
The force situation is also a problem for Man United. Manuel Ugarte is absent for a long time, while Matthijs de Ligt, Carlos Baleba, Amad Diallo and Tom Heaton all have different problems. Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw also leave open the possibility of playing.
If they maintain the approach like the victory in January, Man United may cause difficulties for Man City. However, if the match becomes a battle for ball control, intensity and quality of handling in midfield, the advantage is likely to belong to the away team.
Man United has home advantage, but Man City is in better form, with a deep squad and advantage in rest time. Therefore, the away team is rated slightly higher in this derby.
Man United and Man City have met 198 times. Man United won 81 matches, Man City won 62 matches and the two teams drew 55 times.
In the last 10 encounters, the record is balanced when each team won 4 matches and 2 matches ended in a draw.
Expected lineup
Man United: Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Mazraoui; Tielemans, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Cunha.
Man City: Donnarumma; Nunes, Ruben Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson; Foden, Rayan Cherki, Semenyo; Haaland.
