Who wins the Manchester Derby?
Manchester United and Manchester City lock horns in the first Manchester derby of the ongoing 2021-22 Premier League season on Saturday at Old Trafford.
Only three points separate the two clubs as the Cityzens currently grab the third position on the league table after 10 matches with 20 points in their kitty. Their rivals, on the other hand, occupy the fifth position with 17 points.
The two clubs have to date met each other 185 times in competitive matches out of which the Red Devils have won on 77 occasions while City has 55 wins. 53 matches have ended in a draw.
Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney is the all-time highest goalscorer in Manchester derby’s history with 11 goals to his name. Ryan Giggs is the most capped player in the derby’s history with 36 appearances.
The last time Cristiano Ronaldo, who has returned to Manchester United after a gap of 12 years, met the Sky Blues in the Premier League was in 2009 where they registered a 2-0 with the Portuguese on the score-sheet.
Overall, Ronaldo enjoys a very healthy record against Manchester City. He has played against them on 14 occasions for Manchester United and Real Madrid respectively and has been on the winning side on nine occasions with five goals to his name.
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Manchester United have defensive issues ahead of the Premier League derby clash at Old Trafford with Raphael Varane facing four to five weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury suffered during the Champions League game against Atalanta,
Victor Lindelof also faces a fitness test on the knock that forced him to miss Tuesday’s 2-2 draw.
Paul Pogba serves the second game of a three-match domestic ban but Fred should return in midfield after being benched in Italy.
Man City centre-back Aymeric Laporte is suspended after being sent off in last week’s loss to Crystal Palace.
Manager Pep Guardiola will also check on Kyle Walker after the England full-back suffered a foot injury against Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Ferran Torres (foot) is City’s only other notable absentee.
Solskjaer seems to exist in a perpetual state of near-crisis with talk of his job security never more than another bad performance away.
He has enjoyed a knack of pulling off a result just when the pressure seems poised to overwhelm him, but tomorrow may be a bridge too far and a heavy defeat to their local rivals as they face into an international window would be difficult to survive.
There’s a long and empty two weeks until United’s next game against Watford after this derby clash and a performance and result similar to the Liverpool debacle may well see Ole removed from his position at the wheel.
