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Forest were targeting Bruno Fernandes, Ten Hag claims after FA Cup tie
Manchester City host Manchester United in the headline Premier League fixture on Sunday with derby bragging rights at stake.
Pep Guardiola will be desperate to keep pace with Liverpool and Arsenal in what has been a furious title race so far, while Erik ten Hag is under pressure to prove his worth after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover with an ongoing power struggle at the heart of the Old Trafford club.
The Cityzens ran out 3-0 winners at Old Trafford earlier this season, with an Erling Haaland double and Phil Foden securing a comfortable victory. Ten Hag has been caught up in a bizarre row with Fulham over a social media post appearing to mock captain Bruno Fernandes, while City have found form this week with Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne’s devastating performances at Luton in the FA Cup.
Check out the latest tips and odds for the Manchester derby and find betting sites offers here:
Ahead of this afternoon’s game, Guardiola has singled out Bruno Fernandes as one of United’s key threats.
The Portuguese international has endured a quieter spell in recent months and has come in for some criticism but the Spanish coach believes he still possesses an abundance of quality.
‘He is an exceptional player,’ Guardiola said. “Especially the consistency to play in every single game and in every single competition.
“I admire him a lot for that. He is a guy that when he has the ball, something is going to happen. In set pieces, in connections with players up front with [Alejandro] Garnacho, with Rashford, all the strikers they have up there.”
Asked if his side will work to specifically nullify Fernandes’ threat, Guardiola said: “Of course, it always has to be like that. Always he can be creating something.”
(AP)
Ben Fleming3 March 2024 12:25
Manchester City host Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium as the hosts to bolster their bid for another title with derby day victory - but the match is kicking off at the “unusual” time of 3.30pm GMT.
The clash between the cross-town rivals looked set to take the 4:30pm slot on ‘Super Sunday’, when the standout fixture of the Premier League weekend is usually played.
But the kick-off time has been brought forward by an hour following consultation between the local authorities and broadcasters, with both clubs agreeing to the change.
A statement from Manchester United confirmed: “The unusual start time was agreed following consultation between the clubs, the broadcaster and local authorities.”
Ben Fleming3 March 2024 12:16
When Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s purchase of a 25% stake in Manchester United was finalised the Ineos billionaire came out and said that his goal was to ‘knock Man City off the perch’.
Since then Pep Guardiola has had his say believing that this era of the English top flight belongs to his club.
"The 80s was Liverpool, 90s United and now we have won seven Premier Leagues in the last 11 or 12 years," said Guardiola.
"But in 50 or 60 years there has never been one country where one team always dominates and controls everything. We will try in this organisation to extend this as much as possible for many years.
"Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his people know the diagnosis of their club. I don’t know anything about that club. If they said they need two or three years to be there, who am I to say the opposite?"
Mike Jones3 March 2024 12:07
The last time Manchester United visited the Etihad Stadium, Phil Foden achieved a historic feat. He became the first player to score a hat-trick in a Manchester derby for all of nine minutes. Admittedly, until Erling Haaland had completed his own treble, no one else had mustered one in the fixture since Andrei Kanchelskis in 1994.
The last time Manchester City beat Manchester United, Foden was on target and yet overshadowed by Haaland again, scoring the third goal at Old Trafford in October. As he approaches his 12th derby – at 23, it is another indication of how Foden is amassing the numbers of a senior player while still relatively young – it is as a member of the supporting cast again.
Mike Jones3 March 2024 12:00
Man City have won five of the last six Premier League titles, while Manchester United’s most recent league title came in 2013 - Sir Alex Ferguson’s final year in charge.
Last year City matched their rivals’ feat from 1998-99 by winning the Treble and are battling to repeat the feat this season by vying for the Premier League title, the Champions League trophy and the FA Cup.
Mike Jones3 March 2024 11:50
Manchester City have scored a combined 10 goals in their last two home games against Manchester United and are vying for a third consecutive home league win against them for the first time since a run of four wins between 1952 and 1955.
With the Red Devils missing key defenders for this clash it could turn out to be a big scoreline again for Pep Guardiola’s men.
Mike Jones3 March 2024 11:42
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says it is a "complete honour" to receive praise from Manchester United’s new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe who claimed City have played some of the best football he had ever seen.
"I just say ‘thank you so much’," Guardiola said. "Sometimes they are more than the titles, the compliments of the personalities that make this country, like Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s comments.
“It is a complete honour for us.
"One can produce emotions and feelings for the players and our rivals. That helps to do our job. Thank you so much on behalf of all of us."
Mike Jones3 March 2024 11:35
Over the past few months, Jean-Claude Blanc has kept a line of dialogue open with Zinedine Zidane. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos and Blanc, the chief executive of its sports arm, have long been admirers of the former Real Madrid manager. That level of Champions League success is naturally what Ineos is aspiring to at Manchester United.
This isn’t to say that Zidane is set to take over at Old Trafford in the summer, but it is a connection the group is naturally keeping open.
It similarly feeds into the feeling around Erik ten Hag’s future. Virtually everyone is saying it is up in the air. Ineos is monitoring everything and consulting, and will make the decision it best sees fit.
Mike Jones3 March 2024 11:27
Manchester City have won five of their last six games in all competitions against Manchester United. Their only loss in that time came in a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford in January 2023.
Mike Jones3 March 2024 11:18
Today’s match is the first Manchester derby since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became a co-owner of Manchester United and took over their footballing operations.
When the deal completed he said he wanted to knock Manchester City "off their perch" within three years and described their 4-0 win over Real Madrid in last season’s Champions League semi-final as "the best football I’ve seen".
Will Ratcliffe get his wish earlier than expected with a United victory this afternoon?
Mike Jones3 March 2024 11:08
