Ruben Amorim will get his first taste of a local derby as Manchester United manager this afternoon when he takes the team to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.
The Red Devils go into the game on the back of a 2-1 victory over Plzeň in the Europa League, but their Premier League performance has attracted attention for the wrong reasons.
his team lost Their last two games They are desperate to end their rivalry with their noisy neighbors and gain bragging rights in England’s top flight.
However, United have lost their last three games against Pep Guardiola’s side and Amorim will be hoping to make an immediate impact in the Manchester derby.
If he does so this afternoon he looks set to lose a number of key first-team players, which will only make the task of taking all three points that much more difficult.
Manchester United injury concerns ahead of Manchester City clash
Experienced centre-back Jonny Evans has made an impact since returning to Old Trafford last season, often filling in at the back during defensive crises.
However, after Six league appearances So far, the 36-year-old looks set to miss another game after picking up an injury in Amorim’s opening game against Ipswich Town last month.
The defense is likely to look the same as it was on Thursday night, with Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and Nussel Mazraoui likely facing the task of keeping Erling Haaland quiet .
Luke Shaw has suffered another setback after a painful injury period, with a recent hamstring injury ruling him out of this afternoon’s game at the Etihad Stadium.
The 29-year-old has only scored Two league appearances The running time so far totals 68 minutes – highlighting his recent struggles at Dream Theater.
However, if the new manager is to taste success against local rivals, he must start a player in his natural role after giving him a slightly deeper role in the Czech Republic.
Players who will step into the Manchester City squad
Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes has regularly emerged as the Red Devils’ first-choice creative star over the past few years, posting some incredible statistics in the process.
30 years old and registered Eight goals and assists combined Of his 15 league starts this year, most of them have come in his more natural attacking midfield role.
However, he joins Casemiro slightly deeper in the heart of midfield, but Amorim must allow the former Sporting CP star to return to his more natural role if he wants to give himself the best chance of causing havoc.
this”sensationalThe midfielder, dubbed by the legendary Paul Scholes, will step in and add a level of creativity that has been sorely lacking in Guardiola’s side in recent weeks – as is their goal-scoring As the numbers prove. Only scored five goals in four games.
When comparing his numbers to those of Kevin De Bruyne in the 2024/25 season, he Registered more goal contributionsThe Belgian’s age has really been catching up over the past few months.
Fernandes’ goals and assists in the Premier League compared to Manchester City forwards (2024/25) | |
|---|---|
player | consistent |
Erling Haaland | 14 |
Bruno Fernandez | 8 |
Bernardo Silva | 5 |
Kevin De Bruyne | 4 |
Jeremy Doku | 4 |
Savinho | 2 |
Jack Grealish | 1 |
Phil Foden | 1 |
Statistics passed fiery thug | |
As you can see in the table above, the Portugal star will step straight into the City squad as a quality scorer and goal creator, considering Haaland is the only player who has contributed more than him.
Fernandes has often been the man to get United out of trouble over the past few years and holds the key to victory at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since 2021.
Local derbies always bring surprises and Amorim hopes that will come true when the final whistle blows later tonight – and it could be the catalyst for his tenure at the club.
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