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Manchester United could really give Manchester City a run for their money tonight.
It's derby day in Manchester as Pep Guardiola's Manchester City take on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United in the EFL Cup tonight and on days like these, it truly is a city divided. The Red Devils will want to restore their dominance while Manchester City will look to dispel suggestions that they are losing their grip on the sceptre.
Manchester United are well placed domestically, preparing to finally go top of the table after a decade that saw them reeling in mediocrity. Manchester City are not too far behind and after a sumptuous show at Stamford Bridge against Frank Lampard's Chelsea side, they will not be short on confidence.
But here tonight, when Manchester United and Manchester City collide, a place in the EFL Cup final is up for grabs and we expect nothing short of a thriller. Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Manchester City will struggle against Manchester United.
#5 Manchester United have been the stronger side of late
Manchester United have a strong record against their bitter city city rivals of late. They have won three of the last five encounters with the Cityzens and did a double over Manchester City in the league last season.
In fact, when Manchester United went to Etihad last season to take on Manchester City in the Premier League, they took the game to the hosts and blew Pep Guardiola's men away with some of the best attacking football we had seen them play under Solskjaer.
Mind you, Manchester United started that game with a midfield trifecta of Fred, McTominay and Jesse Lingard. Yes, that was way before Bruno Fernandes took over in midfield. Bruno Fernandes then played a big role as United beat City again in the league, assisting Martial's opener on the night.
When Manchester City came out to Old Trafford just last month, Pep Guardiola held his men back, playing with two defensive midfielders perhaps too wary of Manchester United's attacking wealth.
#4 Manchester United are riding on a high
When Manchester United and Manchester City met last month, neither side showed a lot of ambition. It was understandable coming from Manchester United as they had just been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League and a defeat against their city rivals would have garnered more bad press.
Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba are two of United's best performing players right now but when the two sides met last time, Martial came off the bench and there was a lot going on around Pogba after Raiola comments about his potential exit from the club.
Pogba was arguably Manchester United's best player against Aston Villa this past weekend. Martial has been in sublime form of late. Bruno Fernandes, as always, is either scoring goals or creating them. Fred is a menace in midfield and they've also got a fully fit Eric Bailly patrolling at the back.
They are also tied on points with Liverpool and can go top of the table if they win their game in hand against Burnley. So it's fair to say that Manchester United won't be short on confidence tonight.
#3 Solskjaer could field his best side in a bid to win his first trophy as Manchester United manager
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a selection dilemma as he has almost his entire squad to choose his starting XI from tonight. Only Edinson Cavani is missing through suspension.
Solskjaer will be desperate to win his first piece of silverware as the Manchester United after reaching two semi-finals last season. The back four that started against Aston Villa is almost certain to be fielded again with Eric Bailly and Aaron Wan-Bissaka contributing heavily to the Red Devils' win.
Solskjaer usually goes for a mobile midfield against top sides and Scott McTominay and Fred could start behind Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba could once again be fielded in an advanced role down the left side.
Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial ought to complete the XI and the thing to note here is that there isn't one player on the list that's underperforming at the moment. They can go toe-to-toe with their Manchester City counterparts which brings us to our next point which is...
#2 Manchester City squad is depleted
Six Manchester City players have tested positive for Covid-19 ahead and Pep Guardiola will be taking a depleted squad to Old Trafford for the EFL Cup semi-final. Last week, Manchester City's Premier League game against Everton was postponed after several players and staff members tested positive for Covid.
However, they did take on Chelsea in the weekend and registered a thumping 3-1 victory. City have six players sidelined and as far as we know and those include Kyle Walker, Eric Garcia and Gabriel Jesus. However, Manchester United will be a wholly different proposition as opposed to the lacklustre Chelsea side they faced over the weekend.
Pep Guardiola went vocal about his concerns in an interview with Sky Sports. He said:
"We don't have many players. To play one, two games is okay but if sustained for a long time - and you can use just 14 or 15 players - it will be more difficult. But like everyone in the world, we have to adjust in our lives and our profession as much as possible. We don't have an alternative.
"The important thing is the guys who have Covid recover well and the others try to avoid it as much as possible."
#1 Manchester United substitutes can change the game
While Manchester City will have to make do with whoever is available, Manchester United on the other hand can entirely turn a game on its head thanks to their squad depth. EFL have approved five substitutions for the game and that is great news as Manchester United are concerned.
The clubs will be able to name nine players on the bench as well as opposed to seven. The thing about Manchester United's squad is that they have a lot of midfielders who are all unique in the way they play the game.
If Fred and McTominay start and it is not quite working out, the Manchester United manager could always ask Nemanja Matic to come in and instill some much needed stability in the heart of midfield. They have Donny van de Beek who loves exploiting spaces in the final third and is an additional threat inside the box.
They have Alex Telles who can come in for Luke Shaw and Juan Mata who can add that extra bit of finesse to the Manchester United midfield if needed. Mason Greenwood should also be on the bench and we all know what the youngster can do if he's given space.
