The announcement that Kevin De Bruyne will depart from Manchester City at the season’s end adds an intriguing twist to Sunday’s derby at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
Since joining the Cityzens in 2015, the Belgian midfielder has donned the sky blue jersey 413 times, netting 106 goals while providing 143 assists—more than double the tally of his closest rival, David Silva, who has 61 assists.
He’ll be eager to add to those numbers, especially if it can clinch a much-needed win against their local rivals at the Theatre of Dreams.
During his decade-long tenure, he has secured six Premier League titles, five League Cups, two FA Cups, and one Champions League trophy, leaving the Etihad Stadium with his head held high. His departure will leave Pep Guardiola with the challenging task of finding a suitable replacement to fill his huge role starting from the 2025/26 season.
Currently, both City and United sit disappointingly in fifth and 13th place in the Premier League respectively. Yet, the three points on offer are just as crucial as if they were both in contention for the title.
Should Guardiola’s side stumble in their upcoming fixtures, they could face the serious threat of missing out on European competition next season.
From Ruben Amorim’s perspective, securing a top-10 finish is essential for United, who currently trail Bournemouth by seven points in 10th place.
Man United aiming for a rare double over City
If United manage to secure a win on home turf, it would mark the first time they’ve done the league double over City since the 2019/20 season. It’s worth noting that they remain undefeated in their last three encounters with the Sky Blues across all competitions (two wins and one draw).
However, the hosts should be wary; City have claimed more Premier League away victories at Old Trafford than any other team, with nine to their name. Additionally, five of those have come under Guardiola’s leadership, making him the most successful visiting manager in the league at this venue.
Just over a month ago, ahead of United’s match against Arsenal, Amorim remarked, “I will not have the time that Arteta has. I feel that. It’s a different club, so we just need to survive.”
Sadly for the Portuguese manager, the situation hasn’t improved significantly since that statement. Despite his impressive record at Sporting, he currently holds the worst goals conceded per game ratio of any permanent United manager at home in Premier League history (1.89).
Under Amorim, the team has conceded 17 goals in nine home games, and they’ve gone a staggering eight Premier League matches at Old Trafford without a clean sheet, their longest such run since between April and December 2021 (a stretch of 12 matches).
United have also gathered just two points from eight Premier League home matches this season against teams in the top half, with a record of two draws and six losses, scoring a mere five goals while conceding 19 in those contests.
On a brighter note, Amorim has triumphed in both contests against City this season, winning in the Champions League with Sporting and in the Premier League with United.
A victory for United on Sunday would see him become just the third manager to defeat Pep Guardiola in three consecutive fixtures, joining Jurgen Klopp with Liverpool (twice) and Thomas Tuchel with Chelsea in the 2020/21 season.
Another positive ray of hope for the Red Devils is City’s recent form, having lost six of their last eleven away league matches (with three wins and two draws). This matches their defeats in their previous 37 away games (26 wins, five draws, and six defeats), although they’ve only lost more than six away fixtures in one of the last 13 seasons (seven in the 2019-20 campaign).
Erling Haaland will miss out due to injury, and given his impressive record of nine goals in eight appearances against United (six goals, three assists), United fans will breathe a sigh of relief, even though his replacement, Omar Marmoush, has been quick to adapt to the English top flight.
Bruno Fernandes remains pivotal for Man United
Bruno Fernandes continues to be the key man for United, contributing to 21 goals at Old Trafford this season across all competitions (12 goals and nine assists).
If he manages to record an assist in this match, it will mark the third time he has achieved 10 or more goals and assists in a single season at Old Trafford, alongside the 2020/21 and 2022/23 seasons. This feat surpasses all other players combined since 1992/93, with Dwight Yorke in 1998/99 (12 goals and 10 assists) and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2006/07 (14 goals and 11 assists) being the only others to do so.
With only three goalless draws in the last decade for this fixture, goals seem almost certain, and at least two goals have been scored in all of the past twelve clashes between these two sides.
Another three encounters in the last decade have concluded with 1-0 results; on two of those occasions, United emerged victorious, suggesting that if Amorim’s squad can keep their defence organised, a narrow home win is not out of the question.
Both City and United fans will acknowledge the former’s recent dominance in the city, yet United reigns supreme in the rivalry, having won more derbies in the Premier League era.
Since the 1992/93 season, the Red Devils have claimed 26 victories, while City has steadily closed the gap with 20 wins. Across all competitions, United’s tally stands at 80 wins, a 17-match lead over their nearest rivals. In this fierce derby clash, neither side will hold back, and only the strongest will prevail.
An electrifying Sunday showdown awaits…
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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