"The Red Devils" to Stop Man City in the "City Derby"
Italian coach Enzo Maresca faces his first major test since taking charge in place of Spaniard Pep Guardiola, as table-topping City travel to face local rivals United in the Manchester derby. Manchester United, under interim manager Michael Carrick, have collected just four points from their first three matches, losing 2-0 to Hull and drawing 2-2 with Everton, after an initial 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town.
The Red Devils are determined to stop their rivals and secure the three points. They are well-placed to do so, playing at home in front of their fans, and will enter the match with two objectives: first, to claim the three points and move into the top positions, and second, to defeat their city rivals in the anticipated derby.
United also began their Champions League campaign with a convincing 4-0 win over Azerbaijani side Sabah in their Group Stage opener on Thursday.
On the other side, after four matches across all competitions, Maresca has enjoyed an ideal start since taking on the difficult task of succeeding Guardiola at City. Despite City’s perfect haul of nine points in the Premier League and a 2-0 Champions League victory over Portuguese side Porto, these results mask some performances that fell short of expectations.
At home last week, City had to fight hard for a narrow 1-0 win against Coventry, who missed several chances that could have earned them their first goal and point in the Premier League in 25 years. Maresca’s side also needed late goals to beat Bournemouth 2-1 in the opening round of the new season.
Changes have not been limited to the technical staff during the summer transfer window; City spent a record $623 million on new signings, including a completely new midfield featuring the recent record signing Argentine Enzo Fernandez, along with Elliot Anderson and Moroccan Ayoub Abdellaoui.
In other matches, Nottingham Forest beat Aston Villa 2-1, moving to five points, while the losers remain on one point. Liverpool drew 0-0 with Fulham, lifting Liverpool to six points, while Fulham secured their first point of the campaign.
In another fixture, Bournemouth and Brentford drew 2-2, leaving Brentford on six points and Bournemouth on three. Ipswich Town defeated Crystal Palace 3-2, moving the victors to six points, while the losers remained on three. The match between Chelsea and Hull City ended in a 2-2 draw, raising Chelsea’s tally to seven points and Hull’s to eight.
