Premier League Preview: Manchester City – Manchester United

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EPL: Sir Alex Ferguson and Sven Goran Eriksson, Manchester United - Manchester City (PA)

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Superman to the Rescue

It’s hard to steal the Eastlands spotlight from Robinho, but Stephen Ireland has done just that in the last few weeks. The man in the Superman pants has been out of this world, scoring goals for fun.

This run of form began two weeks ago at Hull City where his brace secured a hard-fought 2-2 draw. He followed this up with an inspirational performance against Arsenal, scoring the opener, and picking apart a ramshackle Gunners defence at will. Ireland got on the score sheet again in the mid week UEFA Cup victory against Schalke 04.

All this marks a remarkable turnaround for the Cork-born player who found himself at the centre of one of football’s most bizarre scandals last season. ‘Granny-gate’ occurred when he concocted the 'deaths' of his grandmothers to escape the Republic of Ireland’s international set up.  

The controversy created a fire storm that impacted on his club form. He dropped out of the starting line-up as the campaign drew to a close, and was nearly sold to Sunderland.

How Mark Hughes must be glad this didn’t happen. Just as the Blues'  fortunes have been transformed by the injection of cash from Abu Dhabi, so Ireland has been a different player this season. Along with Shaun Wright-Phillips and Robinho, he will be expected to tear apart United on Sunday.

City have struggled for consistency though. Their mid-table position attests to this, with glorious days against Arsenal coming alongside dour defeats to Bolton Wanderers.

The Eastlands fans will be desperate for a repeat of last weekend’s win so they can continue their terrific form against the Red Devils.

Two wins last year saw the local bragging rights go to the Blue half of Manchester. With some more help from their very own super hero, this run could be continued on Sunday.

No goals, no glory

These are uncharacteristically lean times for Manchester United. Two goalless draws in a week ended their tremendous record of scoring in the last 36 Premier League games, and stopped them from sealing their place as top dogs in Group E in the Champions League.

Getting back on the score-sheet will be paramount in Sir Alex Ferguson’s mind as he attempts to even the score against Manchester City.

In all the glory of a double-winning campaign in Europe and at home, you can bet a double of a very different kind has been on the mind of the Scottish manager.

A 1-0 defeat at Eastlands plus a faultless City display in the 2-1 win on United’s own turf took some of the gloss off their dominant 2007/08 season.

Ferguson has always been aware of football’s tribal side, happily engrossing himself in United’s rivalries with Liverpool, Manchester City, Leeds United and Arsenal as he came down south to take the Old Trafford reins.

A big boost to his hopes of settling the score with the Blues has been the return to training of Dimitar Berbatov this week. The Bulgarian endeared himself to the United faithful by turning down an even bigger money move to City in the summer, but hasn’t completely won them over on the pitch.

That his absence has coincided with his team mates firing blanks can’t be just by chance. If he can end this run by notching his first away Premier League goal for the champions at Eastlands then he’ll take a big step towards acceptance.

Ferguson will also be aware that a winning show against City could pile the pressure on Chelsea as they prepare to host Arsenal straight after. A victory by a few goals will set an even bigger marker down, and show that United are back in business.

FORM GUIDE

Manchester City:

27th November vs. Schalke 04 (A) won 2-0 (UEFA CUP)

22nd November vs. Arsenal (H) won 3-0 (PREM)

16th November vs. Hull City (A) drew 2-2 (PREM)

9th November vs. Tottenham Hotspur (H) lost 2-1 (PREM)

6th November vs. Twente Enschede (H) won 3-2 (UEFA CUP)

Manchester United:

25th November vs. Villarreal C.F. (A) drew 0-0 (CHAMP LG)

22nd November vs. Aston Villa (A) drew 0-0 (PREM)

15th November vs. Stoke City (H) won 5-0 (PREM)

11th November vs. Queens Park Rangers (H) won 1-0 (CARLING CUP)

8th November vs. Arsenal (A) lost 2-1 (PREM)


TEAM NEWS

Manchester City:

Samba star Robinho (ankle) returns to the City fold after recovering from the injury he picked up against Arsenal. He is joined by Gelson Fernandes (hamstring) and Pablo Zabaleta (thigh). This game comes too early for Michael Johnson (groin) who is still a few weeks away from full fitness. Bulgarian pair Martin Petrov (knee) and Valeri Bojinov (calf) are both out until after the New Year.

Last starting XI (vs. Schalke 04.): Hart, Richards, Kompany, Dunne, Garrido (Michael Ball 46), Wright-Phillips, Hamann, Ireland, Vassell, Mwaruwari (Jo 84), Sturridge.
Subs Not Used: Schmeichel, Evans, Ben-Haim, Berti, Logan.  

Squad: Hart, Schmeichel, Onuoha, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Garrido, Ball, Ben Haim, Fernandes, Hamann, Wright-Phillips, Elano, Ireland, Kompany, Robinho, Vassell, Benjani Mwaruwari, Sturridge, Evans.

Possible starting XI: Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Ben Haim, Kompany, Hamann, Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Robinho, Benjani.

Manchester United:

Dimitar Berbatov (hamstring) has shaken off the injury he picked up on international duty two weeks ago and comes back into the United fold. He is joined by captain Gary Neville (groin). Paul Scholes (knee) was seen on the Carrington training pitch this week but hasn’t been considered for selection. Wes Brown (ankle) and Owen Hargreaves (knee) are still out.

Last starting XI (vs. Villarreal C.F.): Kuszczak, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Fletcher (Gibson 80), Carrick (Tevez 86), Nani (Park 85), Anderson, Rooney.
Subs Not Used: Foster, Giggs, Vidic, Rafael Da Silva.

Squad: Van der Sar, Foster, Kuszczak, Neville, Rafael, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Nani, Carrick, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Park, Rooney, Tevez, Berbatov.

Possible starting XI: Van der Sar, O’Shea, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher, Park, Rooney, Berbatov/Tevez.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester City: Robinho may be the king of Eastlands, but Vincent Kompany is the power behind the throne. The Belgium international has been terrific for City since his summer move from Hamburg, dominating games from his central midfield berth. Kompany was superb again in last weekend’s demolition of Arsenal. Mark Hughes will be desperate for a repeat of this performance if his team’s more lightweight players are to stand a chance of gaining a foothold in the match.

Manchester United: After missing both derby defeats last season, Wayne Rooney will be eager to make amends. The ex-Everton man was sorely missed by the Red Devils as his absence lead to the local bragging rights going to the blue half of Manchester. Rooney has also stoked this rivalry in recent days by questioning City’s position as challengers for silverware. A barnstorming display on Sunday could hand United a welcome haul of points and cement their place as this footballing heartland’s dominant team.

PREDICTION

As with all derbies, the form book goes out of the window as soon as the referee blows his whistle.

Such is the un-predictability of this fixture that even at their lowest point under Stuart Pearce in 2005, the Blues were still able to pull a result out of the bag.

For what it’s worth, you have to fancy a Manchester United team determined to avenge last season’s embarrassing results. I certainly wouldn’t bet on that though.

Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United

Matt Monaghan, Goal.com