Man City vs Man Utd: Haaland and Co want to put pressure on Ten witch
MANCHESTER UNITED make the short trip to rivals City TODAY, desperate to find ways to win in the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag’s team have been something of a punching bag for the noisy neighbors in recent years, losing five of their last six derbies in Manchester.
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After a mini-revival of late, the Red Devils’ problems were put under the microscope again last weekend as they meekly lost 2-1 to Fulham at Old Trafford.
After Alex Iwobi’s 97th minute, Jamie Carragher prepared a segment on Man Utd’s baffling tactics for Monday Night Football.
The former Liverpool star highlighted the mixed messages that seem to have spread through United’s squad – with attacking players trying to apply pressure but defenders sitting deep – leaving a gap in the middle.
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Under fire, Ten Hag then hit back and tried to argue that Carragher’s analysis of his team is rarely objective.
But should he oversee another blockade by City, fans will be unimpressed by the Dutchman’s excuses.
Man Utd will likely try to play through Bruno Fernandes this weekend, as they often do.
After last night’s 1-0 FA Cup win at Nottingham Forest, Ten Hag launched a defense of his playmaker’s frequent play.
United insiders were even upset by a video Fulham posted last weekend that appeared to mock the Portuguese’s tendency to roll around.
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The Old Trafford faithful largely support their attacking midfielder in the same passionate way as Ten Hag did.
And if he can somehow land a winner at the Etihad this weekend, Fernandes will certainly have every right to silence his opponents.
What is their shape?
Before last weekend, Man Utd had strung together four wins in the Premier League.
The mini-revival left fans dreaming of making an unlikely move towards the top four.
But last weekend they were brought back down to earth, losing 2-1 at home to Fulham.
They quickly recovered to grab a late 1-0 FA Cup win against Nottingham Forest in midweek.
Man City, meanwhile, beat Luton 6-2 at Kenilworth Road to book their quarter-final place in the cup, with Erling Haaland scoring a stunning five goals.
They have won fourteen of their last fifteen games in all competitions, with the sole exception of last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad.
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What’s the team news?
Erik ten Hag remains without a number of long-term absentees.
Mason Mount, Anthony Martial, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez are all sidelined.
Rasmus Hojlund is recovering from a recent muscle injury, while Luke Shaw will miss out due to a thigh strain.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka suffered an injury in training earlier this month, but Harry Maguire was able to return after missing the game with Forest.
As for City, Jack Grealish will miss the match after picking up another injury against Luton.
After the match, Guardiola said: “I haven’t spoken to the doctor yet but I think he was complaining about the groin, so maybe similar.”
Man City may get a boost from the return of Josko Gvardiol, who has been out in recent weeks with an ankle injury.
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Who will be the star men?
Man Utd are likely to be dominated by their rivals and will have to defend decisively.
However, if they want to get a win, they will need a spark going forward.
With Marcus Rashford still failing and Hojlund out, Fernandes will be the man Ten Hag hopes can conjure up a bit of match-winning magic.
As for City, it’s hard to look past Haaland.
The Norwegian scored five goals against helpless Luton in midweek and would love nothing more than to replicate that form in Sunday’s derby.
What did the managers say?
Ten Hag was delighted with his team’s latest victory over Vorst in midweek.
After the match, the Dutchman said: “It’s the best moment to score at the end. On Saturday we felt a defeat in injury time.
“Today we scored just before the end of time, so we scored at the right time.”
Meanwhile, Guardiola is delighted with the partnership between Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
He said: “I think Erling needs a man with the vision, the quality and the generosity. Kevin is a less selfish player in front of goal, and if he could have helped him score another one, he would have doing.”
“And Kevin needs Erling’s movement, but of course we know how aggressive they are.”
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SunSport forecast
It is very difficult to look beyond a comfortable win for Man City on Sunday as they begin their march towards their Treble defense.
SunSport predicts: Man City 4 Man Utd 1
When is Man City vs Man Utd?
- The big derby match between Man City and Man Utd takes place on Sunday, March 3.
- The match starts at 3.30pm GMT and will be held at the Etihad Stadium.
- The last time City played United they won 3-0 at Old Trafford.
What channel is it and can it be streamed live?
Man City vs Man Utd will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event.
You can stream the action live on the Sky Go or NOW TV app, both of which are available to download to your mobile device or tablet.
Chances
- Manstad – 1/4
- Draw – 5/1
- Man Utd – 17/2
*Also thanks to Paddy power and correct at time of publication.