Manchester United vs Manchester City: Dismal Derby

Whenever the Derby takes place, the city of Manchester has to deploy thousands of police officers with the most advanced equipment to ensure the match is played safely, given the unruly behavior of hundreds of thousands of fans from both teams in the same city.

Manchester Derby matches are always fiery. Photo: Sportkeeda

However, this rescheduled match from Round 31 may not be as eagerly anticipated as usual, given the gloomy April that both teams have just experienced. If only that match had taken place in Round 31 as originally scheduled by the English Premier League, its intensity would probably have been quite different.

At that time, Manchester City were brimming with hope of a classic quadruple win, while Manchester United were even more euphoric having just staged a historic comeback against PSG in the Champions League round of 16 and had a good chance of finishing in the top four of the Premier League.

A month has passed and things have changed dramatically, with Man City being haunted by April in the Champions League, having been eliminated from the tournament by Liverpool around this time last season.

This season, facing Tottenham, a weaker opponent, the outcome for Man City remained unchanged. Man City still appears too inexperienced in this competition, even with the seasoned Pep Guardiola at the helm and a squad that could be considered the envy of any team. If they could trade all their domestic titles for a Champions League trophy, perhaps no one at Etihad would refuse?

Man City need to win to defend their title. Photo: Skysports

For the Old Trafford team, April was a disaster. They were eliminated from the Champions League after a comprehensive defeat against Barcelona, ​​but more importantly, the team is returning to its weak and pathetic form, an unbelievable decline.

The humiliating 0-4 defeat against Everton last weekend was a devastating blow to the team's pride and the fans' faith. For the first time in the Premier League era, Man United lost five consecutive away games in all competitions, and goalkeeper De Gea conceded 48 goals in 34 matches, a feat no Red Devils goalkeeper had ever experienced before.

Manchester United have practically squandered their chances of finishing in the top four, given their incredibly tough fixture list compared to their direct competitors. In that situation, nobody at Old Trafford is in the mood for Derby anymore.

Man Utd want to win to end these gloomy months. Photo: Skysports

But Derby is still Derby, always possessing a unique appeal that no other match can match. For Man City, they still have a crucial competition in the Premier League. Before this match, the Etihad Stadium team had played one fewer game than Liverpool and were two points behind in the standings. If they beat Man United, they would return to the top and have a strong chance of defending their title.

As for Man Utd, their chances of finishing in the top spot are still slim, but more important than the points are the honor and pride of winning a derby match. Nobody at Old Trafford wants to lose to their "noisy neighbors".
And in this match, the Manchester United players will have a very special group of supporters: Liverpool and all their fans.

The match took place in the early morning of April 25th, at 2:00 AM - Hanoi time.

Forecast:Manchester United vs Manchester City: 1 – 2

Statistical:In their last five meetings across all competitions, each team has won two matches, and there has been one draw.

Predicted lineup:
Man Utd:De Gea, Linderlof, Smalling, Young, Luke Shaw, Herrera, Matic, Pogba, Sanchez, Lukaku, Rasford

Man City:Ederson, Kyle Walker, Laporte, Stones, Zinchenko, Sterling, Sane, Gundogan, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Aguero