City need derby win
ANCHESTER City must move on from Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final loss to Arsenal and focus on getting a win in the Premier League derby against Manchester United, defender Jesus Navas has said.
City, who were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal in the Cup tie, are at fourth in the table with United just one point behind in fifth ahead of tomorrow’s (Thursday’s) match.
“Now we need to stand back up and keep going. It’s important for the players as well as the fans,” Navas told British media. “There is a lot at stake, we need to focus and try to get the three points to make our fans happy.”
After the United match, City do not face a top six side in their remaining five league games.
“We need to focus on and think about the next game. We have to keep playing until the end of the season, and our goal is to end up in the top four and make the next Champions League,” Navas said.
In the last five Manchester league derbies, both teams have won and lost two games each; a 2015 match at Old Trafford ended in a goalless draw.
Meanwhile, Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has vowed to come back even stronger after suffering a serious knee injury against Anderlecht in Europa League last week.
Ibrahimovic and defender Marcos Rojo are likely to miss the rest of the season after scans revealed they have both suffered cruciate knee ligament injuries.
“First of all, thank you for all the support and love,” Ibrahimovic, United’s top scorer this season with 28 goals, wrote on his Instagram account on Sunday.
“It’s no news I got injured so I will be out of football for a while. I will go through this like everything else and come back even stronger. So far I played with one leg so it shouldn’t be any problem.”
The 35-year-old Swede, whose contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of the season, said injuries would not decide his future in the game.
“One thing is for sure, I decide when it’s time to stop and nothing else. Giving up is not an option,” he said.
United, who are fifth in the Premier League standings, face a challenging schedule including visits to Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
They also face Spanish side Celta Vigo in a two-legged Europa League semi-final next month.