One of the most watched derbies is surely the Manchester Derby. With fans around the world are waiting to see the action unfold. It has always been up for debate on which side is the better side. With the red devils boasting of a grand history and cityens carrying the premier league in recent days, Manchester United, even after falling short of games, have managed to win some big trophies for their shining cabinet, while Manchester City dominated the past ten years without letting any club get the podium. Despite creating such dominance, the top four clubs are yet to see the glory that they once had. Liverpool and Arsenal have been quite the victims. Manchester United still boasts more silverware than struggling rivals. The thrill is coming back with Community Shield on Sunday, with the two primary colours of RGB clashing with new line-ups.
Manchester United vs Manchester City
Speaking of intense derby and age-old rivalry, one cannot forget how the Red Devils, even after being the weaker side for a long time, have always been straight up for battle against the Cityzens every time they faced them. One cannot forget how, even when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer never lost a derby while he was managing Man utd. In recent times, we have also seen similar results. The most recent era of Erik Ten Hag was filled with mixed performances. Even after agitated fans wanted him out of Old Trafford, one thing changed all opinions. It was all about just one game, which was enough for fans to calm down. Ten Hag was successful in defeating Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues in a spectacular fashion. This has resulted in rage and a sense of revenge among Manchester City fans, and they are certainly up for another war.
The Manchester derby gives serious serotonin to the city players to get their revenge back from United. Not winning the oldest tournament is certainly a backlash for the management and team. This is more than facilitated by a better draw in the community shield. To win another final for which both of them have qualified requires intense mental capacity. City might just get the best platform to get their revenge, and what better way to achieve this than wembley? It is important to note that Manchester City has also lost their previous Community Shiled trophy to Klopp’s Liverpool. The raging fire is quite alive in their bones.
The table below shows the history between the two top teams in England and how they performed when they met.
| Competition | Matches | Man United wins | Man City wins | Draws | Man United Goals Scored | Man City Goals Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 169 | 66 | 51 | 52 | 238 | 237 |
| FA Cup | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 15 |
| League Cup | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 16 |
| Community Shield | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Total | 192 | 79 | 60 | 53 | 274 | 270 |
Possible lineups for derby
Guardiola is more than happy to welcome back his favourite players who have gone out for their international duties. With the international break over the players are also happy to contribute for their respective clubs. Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Matheus Nunes, and new signing Savinho are set to appear for the pre season matches. With Grealish also suffering from an injury he is set to miss the upcoming final. The most possible line up seems like; Man City starting (4-2-3-1, right to left): Ederson (GK) — Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol — Kovacic, O’Reilly — McAtee, Bobb, Doku — Haaland.
The table below shows the difference in trophies between the two clubs from Manchester.
| Man Utd | Man City | |
| First Division | 7 | 2 |
| Premier League | 13 | 8 |
| FA Cup | 13 | 7 |
| League Cup | 6 | 8 |
| Community Shield | 21 | 6 |
| European Cup/ Champions League | 3 | 1 |
| UEFA Cup/ Europa League | 1 | 0 |
| UEFA Super Cup | 1 | 1 |
| Cup Winners’ Cup | 1 | 1 |
| FIFA Club World Cup | 1 | 1 |
| Intercontinental Cup | 1 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 68 | 35 |
Although the gap remains wide apart due to United’s prolific history but city’s dominance might just bridge is narrow sooner. It is only time when we will know who is the better club. With the upcoming game City might just close one more trophy in the statistics.
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