Manchester City v Manchester United – The Opposition

Manchester City welcome the reds to the city on Sunday as they look to gain their first home win over United since 2018, a season in which City last completed the double over United after also winning 2-0 at Old Trafford. The blues have lost their last two at home to the reds, so it’s time to stop the rot before it becomes a habit.

City were not at their best against Everton and Peterborough and failed to hold on to a point against Spurs, conceding moments after grabbing a last minute equaliser to give the chasing pack hope. The blues struggled to break down Everton last weekend, but a moment of magic and anticipation by Phil Foden, together with a huge slice of good fortune from VAR, gave City the three points and six clear going into the derby.

Form

While City have lost one Premier League match since 30^th October, United have been inconsistent in their results. Over the same time period, the reds have won eight, drawn six and lost three, and are unbeaten in the league since a 1-0 home defeat to Wolves in January. On the road, they United have won six of their thirteen matches, drawing five and losing two (4-2 at Leicester and 4-1 at Watford).

In their last Premier League outing, United drew 0-0 at home to Watford, and away from home, they beat Leeds United 4-2 at Elland Road.

Danger Men

Cristiano Ronaldo is United’s top scorer with fifteen in all competitions. He has played thirty matches and attempted eighty-three shots on goal. For a top scorer, his goal conversion rate is just 18%, lower than that of Jadon Sancho, who has made the same number of appearances and has attempted just seventeen shots, but still has a conversion rate of 20%.

Responsibility for assists have fallen once more to Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder has thirteen assists and nine goals from thirty-five games and has created ninety-one chances in all competitions, the highest in the United team. With 1,752, Fernandes has attempted the most passes, but with 404 incomplete passes, Fernandes has the lowest pass accuracy of the team (77%).

Paul Pogba is the closest to Fernandes with eight assists, but the French international has made just twenty-one appearances for the reds this season. Defender Luke Shaw has five and Fred four, with the former playing the most games for United (41).

Who’s the Boss

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked by the reds after a 4-1 hammering at Watford in November and was replaced by interim manager Ralf Rangnick. The German boss has lost just once as United boss, however, they have won and drawn eight matches and Rangnick has a win percentage of 47%.

Last Time Out

City faced United in November and walked away with the three points thanks to an own goal by Eric Bailly and a Bernardo Silva strike just before half time to give City a 2-0 victory.