The 196th Manchester derby headlines gameweek 31 of the Premier League season, two faltering giants of the English game bidding to rally at the close of extremely disappointing seasons. Hosts Manchester United have nothing but pride to play for and couldn’t be blamed for having half an eye on Thursday’s Europa League quarterfinal in Lyon, their last chance to secure European football as they head into the weekend moored in the bottom half of the table.
Manchester City has more pressure on their remaining fixtures. Without star striker Erling Haaland for most, if not all, of the remainder of the league season, the champions are clinging on to the top-five berth that would ensure they play Champions League football next season. Their run of games without their star striker began well in midweek, a 2-0 win over Leicester City, but this represents a greater test for Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard has won on five of his nine league trips to Old Trafford, already a league record. Making it six would give City plenty of momentum for the run-in.
Viewing information
- Date: Sunday, April 6 | Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Old Trafford — Manchester, United Kingdom
- TV: NBC | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: Manchester United +230; Draw +260; Manchester City +110
Last meeting
The meeting between these two at the Etihad Stadium was hardly filled to bursting with quality from most players but the one who did deliver did so in style. Trailing to Josko Gvardiol’s first-half goal, Ruben Amorim turned to Amad Diallo and the young forward swung the tide decisively. First, he won the penalty from which Bruno Fernandes converted the equalizer before charging onto a ball over the top and drilling in from a tight angle to stun the Etihad Stadium.
What the managers are saying
Manchester United: Despite his side’s defeat to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, a result that means United have lost nine of 19 Premier League games under their new manager, Amorim sees signs of progress from his side. “”It’s more [of] the same since this season began,” he said. “So I think if you look at the game, we are improving the way we play football. We are creating more chances, we are dominating more games.
“But in the end, when you don’t win, you feel that and that is a good thing. So we know that this season is going to be like that, the momentum. So we continue to go to the next [game].”
Manchester City: Having beaten Premier League opposition in back-to-back games for the first time since early January — eliminating Bournemouth in the FA Cup before their win against Leicester in midweek — Pep Guardiola knows his side can ill afford to lose momentum. Newcastle United and Aston Villa are also building form, Nottingham Forest are going nowhere in the top five battle while the likes of Brighton and even Bournemouth will hope to have gained ground by Sunday afternoon.
“Eight games left,” said Guardiola. “Every game is vital.”
Predicted lineups
Manchester United: Andre Onana; Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs De Ligt, Leny Yoro; Diogo Dalot, Manuel Ugarte, Bruno Fernandes, Patrick Dorgu; Alejandro Garnacho, Joshua Zirkzee; Rasmus Hojlund
Manchester City: Ederson; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov, Josko Gvardiol; Nico Gonzalez, Ilkay Gundogan; Savinho, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku; Omar Marmoush
Storylines to watch
Alejandro Garnacho, shooting his shot — Since Amorim’s arrival in England, only 13 players average more shots per 90 Premier League minutes than Garnacho at 3.28 (Haaland, by the way, is not close to being one of them). It is quite a feat then, when you are pulling the trigger so frequently, to rank 66th in expected goals (xG) per 90, his 0.22 barely a sniff more than City get from Gvardiol at left back.
The reason? When Garnacho sees his shot, he takes it. He takes it whether it’s on or not, whether he’s balanced, whether there’s a defender in his way, whether Patrick Ewing is screaming at him at the timeout. Of 155 players across the league to have taken 10-plus shots since Amorim’s tenure, Garnacho ranks 128th. It is not necessarily a bad sign that a player who is still only 20 is ready to let fly. It probably is that a little worrying when his six shots at Forest on Tuesday delivered less than half the xG that Harry Maguire got as an auxiliary center forward.
Player to watch
Jack Grealish — Returning to the Premier League XI in style with his first top flight goal in well over a year, Grealish finally has something to build on. Most intriguingly he was given a run out in the role where he so excelled prior to joining City, a number 10 who could get on the ball, drive it forward and get his shot. He might only have taken two of the latter but it was an impressive performance from the 29 year old. The question is whether, with a similarly struggling Phil Foden waiting in the wings, he will get to build on it.
Prediction
At Old Trafford in particular, United tend not to go down quietly against City, even when they do lose. Still expect what quality the champions still have to show before the final whistle. PICK: Manchester United 0, Manchester City 1