The Manchester derby is here again as Manchester City and Manchester United square off at Old Trafford, in the EFL Cup Round-of-16 fixture on Wednesday. City had the last laugh in the previous Premier League encounter between the two sides, as they ran 2-1 winners at the Theatre of Dreams.
The match comes at a stage where both teams are going through a lean period and will hence be looking to make a statement come Wednesday. Here are five things that we need to look out for in this blockbuster clash:
#5 Injuries in both squads
Eric Bailly will be unavailable for United due to the knee injury he picked up in the second half at Stamford Bridge, while Wayne Rooney is a question mark after missing that game with a muscle problem. Marouane Fellaini is the latest to be added to that list as he faces time out owing to a knee trouble.
Phil Jones remains unavailable and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whose last game was the Manchester derby in September, is also working his way back to full fitness.
Meanwhile, the Citizens are expected to be without creative midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who went off injured in their 1-1 draw with Southampton at the weekend due to a calf problem. The Belgian, who scored the opener in the last derby, had just recovered from a hamstring injury but will have to spend more time on the sidelines.
Pep Guardiola will also be without the services of England international Fabian Delph and former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna on Wednesday, while experienced full-back Pablo Zabaleta remains a major doubt.
#4 Chris Smalling and John Stones will look to bounce back
Chris Smalling and John Stones – the future of the England national team’s defence. Both extremely talented, one already a club captain in the absence of regular skipper Wayne Rooney and another a £47.5million mega money signing. Big things are expected of the two centre-backs and most often than not, they perform at that level.
But this past weekend, it was not to be. Both Englishmen had a weekend to forget, as Smalling was horrendous in United’s 4-0 loss at Stamford Bridge, while Stones played a part in Southampton’s goal as City finished 1-1 against the Saints.
Smalling was at fault for the goals United conceded; he was caught sleeping for Chelsea's opener, let Cahill free in the box for the second goal, was beaten with ease by Eden Hazard for the third strike and then let N’golo Kante cruise past him for the fourth. It was a dismal performance by the stand-in captain, one of his worst displays for the Red Devils.
Stones, on Saturday night, turned provider for opponents Southampton, as his poor back pass gifted Nathan Redmond a 27th-minute opener. City were under the cosh from that moment on, chasing the game, but managed to salvage a point thanks to a Kelechi Iheanacho strike.
Both Smalling and Stones will be looking to put the weekend’s performance behind them and put on a good show in the derby.
#3 Marcus Rashford vs Kelechi Iheanacho
The Manchester derby is one of the biggest and most anticipated game all around the world. Both United and City will field players worth hundreds of millions, but it could well be academy graduates Marcus Rashford and Kelechi Iheanacho that might star in the clash.
Two of the brightest young talents in English football currently, Rashford and Iheanacho have enjoyed great success in their short careers in the first team and on various occasions dug their teams out of troublesome situations.
Rashford, who broke into the first team in the much-maligned Louis Van Gaal-era, has gone on from strength to strength ever since. Scoring on his debuts in all senior competitions that he has played in, he has made a name for himself with his aggressive running at opposition defences. He came on after half-time to score a goal against Northampton in United’s previous EFL Cup fixture and has so far scored four times this season.
Iheanacho has made remarkable progress through City's youth set-up, no mean feat, given the amount of talent at the Etihad. He usurped Wilfried Bony’s place as Aguero’s back-up over the past season and has become a regular under new boss Guardiola. The Nigerian star has the knack of getting into dangerous positions very often. He scored City’s winner at Old Trafford earlier this season and was their saviour again over the weekend against Southampton.
For some players, the pressure of being at the centre on such a big night might prove a little too much to handle. But there is enough evidence from both Rashford and Iheanacho to suggest that they have the temperament to make it at the highest level.
#2 Selection conundrum for both managers
Jose Mourinho made nine changes to his starting line-up for United’s 3-1 win at Northampton Town in the previous round of the EFL Cup, but the Portuguese might look to name his strongest team on Wednesday with the team under pressure to perform and stakes so high.
A win will mean progression to the quarter-finals and will come with an extra incentive of getting one over his old nemesis Guardiola. He may have downplayed the occasion and the competition, but expect Mourinho to go easy at your own peril.
Pep Guardiola also rotated his squad for City's third round victory at the Liberty Stadium against Swansea City, naming a handful of youngsters like Angelino and Aleix Garcia with the likes of David Silva and Sergio Aguero rested. But after a few disappointing games which saw his team drop points in the Premier League and Champions League, it will be fascinating to see how the Catalan approaches the derby.
Will the managers play their strongest XIs or opt to rotate on Wednesday? Only time will tell.
#1 Opportunity to relieve pressure for both teams
United’s 4-0 mauling at the hands of Chelsea on Sunday meant the Red Devils were without a Premier League win in three matches, following the draws with Stoke City and Liverpool.
Mourinho would have been disappointed by the appalling loss at Stamford Bridge against his former employers and is under some pressure early in his career as United boss. A good result against rivals City in the Cup would go a long way to help ease some pressure on him and the team, especially after losing the first derby of the season.
Despite a rampaging start to the season under new manager Pep Guardiola, City have not won even once in five matches across all competitions. The 4-0 hammering at Camp Nou on last Wednesday in the Champions League would have brought morale down at the Etihad and the draw against Southampton wouldn’t have helped much.
But Pep will look to turn it around and claim another derby victory in his short span as City boss. The Citizens would welcome a victory at Old Trafford to put an end to the poor run of results.
