Wednesday night brings the 44th Premier League edition of the Manchester derby, and the 178th competitive meeting between the two clubs. The red side of Manchester has emerged victorious in 73 of the previous meetings, with the blue side claiming wins on 52 occasions. The two sides, which have played to 56 stalemates, are two teams going in completely opposite directions right now.
City have been nearly unstoppable in 2019, and their treble hopes are still very much alive, here in late April. United, on the other hand, have reached new lows not previously seen in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer openly questioned the heart and desire of his players after a disastrous, pathetic showing on Easter Sunday at Everton, and it’s clear that Old Trafford faces a very long and winding road, if they are to get back to the top.
The good news is United doesn’t have much time to think about it as they have to get off the mat for a really big game right away. The bad news is their next opponent is the probably the team that’s least conducive to getting right again.
In terms of fitness and availability for the derby, United will likely be without midfielder Ander Herrera (who looks almost certain to move on from the Theatre of Dreams this summer), club captain Antonio Valencia (who is also a strong candidate to leave in the transfer window) and central defender Eric Bailly. All three have recently missed Premier League games due to injury, and are doubts for this clash.
The good news is that first choice left back Luke Shaw is eligible to return after having finished serving his two match ban. Switching over to City, midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne is likely to miss out after hobbling off the 1-0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The big Belgian has had to battle fitness issues here and there throughout the season. The embattled Benjamin Mendy also missed out on Saturday’s win as he’s still not at match fitness after having recovered from a long-term injury. Mendy has also come under fire for some of his decisions off the pitch, but that is another article for another time.
Manchester Derby FYIs
Kickoff- Wednesday Apr 24, Old Trafford 8pm
Starting XI Predictions: Manchester City Manchester United
Form Guide: Manchester United LWLWL Manchester City WWWWW
Google Result Probability: Manchester City win 66%, Draw 20%, Manchester United win 14%
Prediction- Manchester City 3, Manchester United 1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.