We are gunning for goals, warns Silva

BERNARDO Silva warned United that City will be heading to Old Trafford to score as many goals as possible.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under serious pressure as Reds boss after months of underwhelming performances culminated in a shambolic 5-0 home defeat to fierce rivals Liverpool. And while a 3-0 victory away to Tottenham earned the under-fire coach some respite, a 2-2 draw in the Champions League that required Cristiano Ronaldo equalising goals at the end of each half showed that they are still suspect defensively.

On Saturday they host the Premier League champions looking to stop an alarming run of 13 home games in all competitions without a clean sheet – their worst record since 1959.

City have blown hot and cold this season. Pep Guardiola’s side have smashed in 41 goals in the 11 matches they have scored in this season at an average of nearly four, but they have also failed to find the net at all in a third of their fixtures.

Guardiola spoke ahead of the derby of the need for the team to find different solutions and ‘be more aggressive’ as they were when winning three titles in the last four years, but played down the suggestion that they could do to United what Liverpool did because they do not have the same players.

Bernardo, though, said that City are aiming to rack up as many goals as possible in the derby as they know they are able to do it and know how special winning would be for them and the fans.

“We have scored so many goals this season already. We know that when we are focused and do well, we are a team that has the capacity to score four or five goals per game. Of course, that doesn’t happen in all the games,” he said.

“We are going to try to score as many goals as we can in Old Trafford, knowing that we play against a very good team, one of the main contenders for the Premier League. We know that all big games are difficult, but we are going to try to compete at our best.

“It feels great [to win a derby]. It’s the same everywhere. I’m from Portugal, I was brought up at Benfica. If you beat Sporting Lisbon, it’s the best game of the season. For us, when we play against United or Liverpool, beating them has a special taste. For them as well, I imagine.

“It’s an important game for us, for the fans.”