Rising United
LOT TO PLAY FOR
LONDON: Louis van Gaal’s increasingly confident Manchester United will look to twist the knife in Manchester City’s side when the derby rivals clash in Sunday’s Premier League showdown at Old Trafford.
A run of five consecutive victories has taken United above City for the first time this season and another success this weekend would blacken yet further the storm clouds gathering over the Etihad Stadium.
City’s 2-1 loss at Crystal Palace on Monday left them nine points behind leaders Chelsea having played a game more, effectively ending their title defence, and they now face a battle to secure a Champions League place.
Fourth in the table, Manuel Pellegrini’s team enjoy a seven-point lead over fifth-place Liverpool, but both Arsenal and United have stolen a march on them in the race for automatic Champions League qualification and defeat on Sunday would leave them vulnerable to attack from below.
“I dream of it. Every player shall dream of the victory,” said United manager Van Gaal, whose side are a point above City in third place.
After five losses in seven games for his side, City manager Pellegrini has found himself the subject of media speculation that his days at the Etihad are already numbered.
But although defeat at Van Gaal’s hands would further weaken the Chilean’s position, there is reason for optimism in City’s recent derby record.
Victory would give City five straight league wins against United for the first time and they have won on their last three visits to Old Trafford, scoring 11 goals.
JOSE WANTS SPRINT FINISH IN TITLE RACE
Jose Mourinho has challenged his Chelsea stars to surge to the finish line in the title race as they prepare for a west London derby against QPR.
“Now it’s just five victories or four victories and two draws,” Mourinho said. “Any points we do against QPR our situation improves, but we need points.
“Every team with less than 21 points distance to us mathematically is in the race.” The recent form of both sides can be directly correlated to the performance of their marksmen upfront. United are riding high on skipper Wayne Rooney’s Rooney 27 12 4 2.4 1.5 1.2 Appearances Goals Assists shots/game Key passes/game Dribbles/game Aguero The battle for midfield supremacy between Juan Mata and David Silva will be interesting to watch. The silky Spaniards are likely to be in direct competition at
Old Trafford.
Van Gaal’s formational tweaking has seen him use Mata on the right hand side of midfield in UNITED
Last five matches: WWWWW They have won 10 of their last 11 home matches in Premier League. THE OPPORTUNITY
United and City are probably too far behind leaders Chelsea for either of them to mount a title challenge. But a top-three finish and direct entry into the Champions League is still on the horizon. Nov 2, 2014: Mar 25, 2014: Sept 22, 2013: Apr 8, 2013: Dec 9, 2012: “I had more fear for Villa (who United beat
3-1 last week) than City because every player shall be motivated and want to win. Villa were more defensive but I don’t expect City shall play as defensively as Villa did, and then you need a lot of focus and concentration on our defence.”
LOUIS VAN GAAL, Man United manager United lost to City 0-3 United lost to City 1-2 City lost to United 2-3 “In the last few years we dominated the derby and the league. The derby gives the game an extra boost. I hope that not only the intensity is high, but the quality too, for the fans. It’s an important game as we’re close in the table, but I don’t think the season is finished for either side after.” MANUEL PELLEGRINI, Man City manager
Queens Park Rangers v Chelsea, live on Star Sports 4 & HD4, 6:00pm inspirational performance. In contrast, the lack of goal-scoring contribution from Sergio Aguero has proven costly for Pellegrini’s side. 26 17 6 4.5 1 2.7 recent fixtures, while Silva has played City’s last eight league games from the left.
Both players love to cut inside, so this battle will be as much about the resultant space they may leave down their respective flanks, how exposed they leave their fullbacks. CITY
Last five matches: LWLWL
Have lost last three away games but have won last four against United. City beat United 1-0 City beat United 4-1
Manchester United v Manchester City, live on Star Sports 4 & HD4, 8:30pm