Manchester Utd – Manchester City

Europe’s best team will prove their worth in the Mancunian derby

The first Mancunian derby of the current season will take place at Old Trafford. The balance of power between the teams is roughly similar to the past championship. Manchester United is solving its game problems and is unlikely to claim the title, focusing on the fight for a place in the Champions League. Manchester City, as before, are a key contender for the final top spot. The upcoming Manchester derby will be the 191st since 1881. So far, the scoreline is 78-59 in United's favour. "Red Devils" much longer have been a prominent English club than their formidable by today's standards fellow countrymen. Bookmakers have identified the guests as the favourites of the upcoming meeting, offering on their victory odds of 1.68. Since the first rounds of the current season, the team of Erik ten Hag demonstrates consistently bad football. Of course, at the level of Sheffield United or Burnley Manchester United stands out favourably, but every team that has a well-coordinated game, immediately gives the "red devils" problems. Sometimes, unsolvable and leading to defeats. For three months of the current football year, ten Hague's wards managed to lose to Tottenham, Arsenal, Brighton, Crystal Palace in the championship, as well as Bayern and Galatasaray in the Champions League. United seem to be approaching the derby on a three-game winning streak, but they have been won by one goal apiece against Sheffield, Brentford and Copenhagen. There is no need to talk about the convincing level of play: the Bees were defeated only by two goals in the second half. Manchester City started the season as the best team in England and on the continent. After losing in the Super Cup, the Mancunian club did not let their fans down in any of the following eight matches, winning all of them. Some decline of Manchester City began at the end of September, when in just three days the team flew out of the English League Cup through the efforts of Newcastle and lost in the championship to Wolverhampton, and a week later added to the "piggy bank" of failures defeat from Arsenal. In the second half of October, Guardiola's wards levelled the results and are approaching the trip to Old Trafford in tone and the status of deserved favourites.