Who wins the Manchester derby ? As Mourinho rekindles fierce rivalry with Guardiola

 

Manchester United will on Saturday, 10th September, welcome Manchester City over at Old Trafford for one of the most awaited derbies of the year in the world of soccer. Both United and City have undergone large changes to their teams during this year’s transfer window. Also, both teams have seen a change of coach for this season as United replaced Van Gaal with José Mourinho and City replaced Manuel Pelligrini with Pep Guardiola.

 

Both teams are currently tied with Chelsea at top of the Premier League table, having won all of their games so far, something, which is very likely to change after this game. Both teams are tipped to win this year’s Premier League and parade two of the most top soccer coaches in the history of soccer, this derby will be a match that you can’t miss. With a lot on the line for both teams, this means that this is a perfect game for both sides to prove their worth as title favourites.

 

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will be without newly recruited Ilkay Gündogan and Bacary Sagna, who are down with injury. The status on team captain Vincent Kompany is still unclear, but Guardiola has stated that he might be available in time for the derby. In addition to their injured players, City will also be without star forward Sergio Aguero, as he will be serving a three-match ban by FA.

 

Manchester United will be coming into this game with hundred percent record having won all their three games. The reds have been the talk of the Premier league with the additions of Pogba, Ibrahimovic and new head coach Mourinho. However, United struggled to get past Hull City their last game, the salvation was the conjoint effort from Rooney and Rashford. Marcus Rashford  managed to find the net following a superb pass from Wayne Rooney, which gave Marcus an open net.

 

One of the big concerns for the Reds was how Ibrahimovic and Pogba would blend with the team; however, the team have reported time and time again that Ibrahimovic is a mentor figure for the younger players of the team and the added star power seems to have ignited Wayne Rooney who has been fantastic in these first few matches. In addition to this, Ibrahimovic has shown his value straight from the start and won the team their first title of the season in their victory of Leicester; the Swede has since then scored 3 goals. Pogba hasn’t made as big of a statement as Ibra, but has made his presence at the midfield and a player with his shooting capabilities, as this will pose a threat for every team. United will be without Jesse Lingard, who’s reported injured.

 

Head to Head:

 

Manchester City will be coming into this game with 3 victories and 2 losses on the road and 5 straight victories overall in their latest 5 games. Having won all of their first 3 games of the Premier League 16/17 season, City is looking to carry on last year’s success and with the leadership of Guardiola in addition to their transfers during the transfer window- this is something, which is looking very likely.

 

Manchester City made several nice additions to their line-up during the transfer window. Their most impactful transfers are John Stones, Nolito, Leroy Sané and their new young promise, Gabriel Jesus, who will join the squad in January.

 

However, City has in addition to being one of the most successful Premier league teams also been one of the most scandalous teams during the start of this season. Guardiola announced very late during the transfer window that Joe Hart would no longer be considered even as the second choice keeper, something that caught England by surprise as Hart has been a given keeper in the English national team. In addition to this, Guardiola also dismissed Yaya Toure as he made clear that Toure will not play for City in their Champions league matches.

 

Prediction:

 

The prediction for this game is likely to be a victory for Manchester United.  Guardiola has a lot of depth in his team but the absence of some of the team’s biggest stars is something that might give Mourinho’s side the edge, especially when it comes to a fixture of this magnitude.

 

Even if Vincent Kompany manages to get fit enough to play in the game, it’s worth to keep in mind that he will have been absent from a lot of professional play and he will most likely not be at his full potential. Furthermore, this is one of the most important games of the season for both teams, not only due to the rivalry between the two clubs but also due to the fact that both City and United are teams that will compete for the first place this season and as such, the derby games will hold some of the most valuable points for both teams.

 

This fixture gives United home field advantage and also the player advantage and thus is most likely to win. But the result could also go either way as Guardiola will want to make a big statement that he has arrived England.

 

Anthony Nlebem

@AnthonyNlebem