This Sunday’s Manchester derby at Etihad Stadium sees both Manchester City and Manchester United hoping for a much-needed win after recent difficulties.
City’s recent form has been surprisingly poor. They’ve managed just one victory in their last ten matches across all competitions, a slump that began in late October. Their record stands at eight wins, four losses, and three draws, totaling 27 points.
League performances have shown slight improvement recently. City defeated Nottingham Forest 3-0 on December 4th and drew 2-2 against Crystal Palace on December 7th.
Kevin De Bruyne‘s return from injury has been a boost for City. He started in both of those matches, his first starts since mid-September, and contributed a goal and an assist against Nottingham Forest. However, Rodri remains sidelined for the season.
Despite these improvements, the four-time defending champions find themselves in an unusual fourth place in the league table. They are eight points behind leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand. A 2-0 midweek Champions League loss to Juventus further complicates their situation, putting their knockout-round qualification at risk with two group stage matches remaining.
“The soul and spirit of this team is there.”
“I’m sad for the players because of the way they run and fight in the circumstances. And, of course, our fans maybe they’re sad (right now). I understand it — we’re not used to it.”
Manchester United, currently 13th in the table with five wins, six losses, and four draws, resulting in 19 points, will be under the guidance of Ruben Amorim in his first Manchester derby. Amorim took charge of United last month.
Amorim’s last encounter with City was a memorable one. He led Sporting Lisbon to a 4-1 victory over City in a Champions League match, one of his final games in charge of the Portuguese club.
Amorim’s tenure at United has seen one win in four league games. This win was a convincing 4-0 home victory against Everton on December 1st. Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee both scored twice in that match.
Since then, Rashford has lost his starting position under Amorim. Amorim has significant experience with derby matches, having managed Sporting Lisbon and played for their rivals, Benfica.
Amorim acknowledges that this derby might feel different due to both teams’ current struggles.
“Yeah, I’m really focused on the details. I just want to improve the team, so I cannot live it like a normal derby, like it should be – two great teams fighting for the title.”
“And it’s not that in this moment. So it’s just one more game with a very good opponent. Both teams are struggling in the moment, so I hope, in the future, I feel that real feeling of a derby.”
