Premier League: Resurgent Manchester United Wary Of High-Flying Manchester City In Blockbuster Clash | Sportsmonks
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Premier League: Resurgent Manchester United Wary Of High-Flying Manchester City In Blockbuster Clash

Table toppers and defending champions Manchester City take on Manchester United in the first city derby in the Premier League on Sunday. Both the teams come into this match at the back of resounding Champions League wins. Manchester United prevailed Juventus 2-1 while City thumped Shakhtar Donetsk 6-0.

Pep Guardiola-led City side have turned the Etihad stadium into a fortress. Their last defeat in the Premier League came at the hands of Jose Mourinho’s side and Guardiola will hope to thwart any danger from the Red Devils’ side. The previous league match between them saw United edge their noisy neighbours 3-2 despite being 2-0 down at halftime.

After a shaky start to the league campaign, United seem to be gaining some momentum after winning three out of the last four Premier League games. City, on the other hand, remain unbeaten in the league.

Team news

Romelu Lukaku could make a return to the squad after missing United’s last two matches. In the pre-match conference, Mourinho said Lukaku might return. City’s playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is the only player set to miss given his long knee injury layoff.

Key battles

This game could turn into a defence against attack given the manner Mourinho has approached such games. City boasts of a plethora of attacking stars like Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Riyad Mahrez, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus. With such attacking talent at one’s disposal, fans can expect goals. However, one cannot deny Mourinho’s record against the big teams. He knows how to eke out results from such matches. Midfielders Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Fred and Ander Herrera need to be on their toes throughout to stop City from scoring.

City have kept 6 clean sheets in their last seven matches of the Premier League which shows their dominance at the back while United have only managed one shutout in their league campaign so far. It will be a huge task for the United defenders to avert the barrage of attacks from the City side.

City occupies the top spot with 29 points after 11 games while United are seventh in the table with 20 points.

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