United Manager Ruben Amorim is already confronted with control, whereby his team delivers overwhelming versions in their first three Premier League matches. ..Read more
The Red Devils suffered a defeat against Arsenal on the opening day, followed by a draw with Fulham, and narrowed Burnley thanks to a last-minute penalty from Bruno Fernandes just before the international break.
Despite their shaky start, United is currently above the city in the rankings on the way to the collision in the Etihad Stadium.
In the meantime, City has passed a rough patch and lost consecutive matches to Tottenham and Brighton after a first victory over Wolves. Injuries have further worsened their struggles in the early season.
Even after a summer characterized by significant investments and new signing sessions, the Pep Guardiola team does not seem closer to the recovery of the dominant form that they missed last season.
City did not succeed in beating Amorim’s United in both meetings last year – Settling for a draw in one and suffers a loss in the other.
Merson believes that the trend will probably continue and express the confidence that the recent struggles of the city against their rivals will not be reversed this weekend.
“I thought Manchester United was really good against Burnley,” the former midfielder of Arsenal told Sportskeeda.
‘It looked a bit like the Manchester United of the old times. But at the end they still needed a fine to win that game and that is a concern if you ask me.
‘Manchester City looked comfortable until the replacements changed the game for Brighton. I am looking for reasons to support the city here and I can’t find one if I’m honest!
‘They don’t have a player such as David Silva or Kevin De Bruyne anymore, so who is going on? Julian Alvarez was the kind of player who could have picked the ball and get something special in games like this one, but they don’t have him either!
‘Erling Haaland is not that kind of player, he trusts people such as Silva and De Bruyne for service. And I have always said that Jeremy Doku is a hit-and-miss, so this is not the dominant city in Manchester that we once knew.
“City was terrible against Tottenham in the Etihad. I actually think that Manchester United’s pre-three can harm them in this game.
‘I say that despite the opinion that United will not end this season in the top six, so you can imagine what I think of City at the moment!
‘I’m going to take a draw, but if someone told me to choose a winner, I would only opt for Manchester United. I just don’t think Ruben Amorim’s men will lose this game. ‘
#Paul #Merson #predicts #Scoreline #Man #City #Man #Utd #Clash