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Manchester Derby: Will United beat City?

Published

2 years ago

January 14, 2023

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Premier League Preview: Manchester United vs Manchester City

Manchester United will look to reclaim the bragging rights of Manchester supremacy when they open the gates of Old Trafford to their neighbours Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.

City had won the first Manchester derby of the season 6-3, but the Citizens know it could be a much more difficult challenge this time around as Manchester United have been on a great run.

Erik ten Hag have inspired a fantastic response from his team following the 6-3 thrashing at the Etihad in early October.

The Red Devils have played 18 matches since then, and the 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise stunning run.

The Aston Villa match is the only one United lost since the last Manchester derby, and they have won all six of their games following the World Cup restart.

The 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic midweek in the EFL Cup marked Ten Hag’s 20th victory as the Manchester United boss. He reached that milestone in only 27 matches. Not even Sir Alex Ferguson can match that feat.

But a more steadfast test of Manchester United’s credentials lies ahead as they are about to face Manchester City at home before travelling to Arsenal, who currently occupy the top spot in the standings. If they can pick up three points on Saturday, the prospects of a title charge will not sound much audacious anymore.

Man United are already fourth on the table, and a win against City will bring them within a point of their Manchester rivals.

Arsenal face a daunting challenge in their next match as they will travel beyond enemy lines to play Tottenham Hotspur in a North London derby. If Arsenal drops points on Sunday, United could be six or seven points away from the top spot with 20 rounds of Premier League action left to go.

Team News

Bruno Fernandes will be back in the lineup after sitting out the Charlton match to serve a one-match suspension.

Jadon Sancho has yet to recover match fitness, so he will sit out again. Raphaël Varane and Luke Shaw expect to return to the lineup after being rested midweek.

On the other hand, Manchester City come off the back of a bittersweet week.

They crushed Chelsea 4-0 in the FA Cup third round but fell to a surprise 2-0 defeat in the EFL Cup quarterfinal to Southampton.

Uncharacteristically, Manchester City players failed to register a single on-target shot throughout the 90 minutes.

It brought back the horrors of Man City’s embarrassing 3-0 loss to Liverpool in the Champions League quarterfinals five years ago. That night, Alisson Becker was untested on the Liverpool goal as Manchester City could not keep any of their attempts on target.

But the Premier League is a different proposition. So, Pep Guardiola is hopeful of getting a fully focused team ready to retain their Manchester glory.

They also know that more than city pride is at stake on Saturday, as a loss might potentially lead to Arsenal stretching their lead to eight points.

Rúben Dias will watch from the stands once again as he nurses a hamstring injury. John Stones could not make it to the Southampton match squad, but he should be cleared to start against United.

That means Kyle Walker will go back to his natural right-back spot. Sergio Gómez could be preferred over João Cancelo once again.

Our Prediction

Manchester City have an excellent record in Manchester derbies.

They have own more away matches at Old Trafford than any other teams in Premier League history.

Man United is a more organized and in-form unit now, than they were in October. But, Man City’s urgency to keep up with Arsenal and bounce back with a win following the Southampton defeat could propel the visitors to another derby win.

We say, Manchester City 2-1 Manchester United.

Kickoff: 15 January, 6 PM (IST)

Venue: Old Trafford

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WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

8 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

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Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

8 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

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PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

8 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.