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One of the most anticipated matches of the season will take place this weekend between Manchester City and Manchester United.
Since the sides only played one Premier League game against one another over the course of 28 days before the Manchester derby, the tension surrounding the match has only grown.
Both teams are in excellent form, with City remaining unbeaten in the league this year and United winning four straight games.
At Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo has not got the start he would have preferred after the summer in which he wanted to leave the club.
The 37-year-old has only scored once for the Reds this season, a penalty in their most recent Europa League away game against Sheriff Tiraspol. The leading scorer for United has been working to catch up at Old Trafford after missing much of preseason.
Ronaldo’s performance has frequently come under fire. After Portugal’s 1-0 Nations League loss to Spain this week, even the Portuguese supporters vilified their skipper.
Fernando Santos of Portugal praised Cristiano Ronaldo’s effort in the 4-0 win despite missed opportunities.
The forward might still get a chance to shine against Manchester City on Sunday, even if it’s as a substitute. Ronaldo has faced the Blues 15 times and has won nine of them, an amazing feat.
He has scored five goals in those games, three of which have come for United in the Premier League. Erik ten Hag may find it challenging to leave his Premier League winning team, despite his encouraging efforts versus City.
The real question is whether Lisandro Martinez will be able to deal with Haaland.
Discussions about Lisandro Martinez’s physical attributes and suitability for the Premier League dominated the first few weeks of the season.
Since then, he has reacted forcefully and participated in every game of United’s four-game Premier League winning streak.
But in such games, he frequently faced quick, nimble forwards, who Martinez usually dominated. Erling Haaland, who stands 20 centimeters higher than the United defense, will be a totally different opponent.
Meanwhile, Haaland could become the first player to net three consecutive Premier League hat-tricks should he score three on Sunday.
Team News
Manchester City defender John Stones is unavailable after he was forced off for England with a hamstring issue, while fellow center-back Aymeric Laporte has returned to training, but this game is expected to come too soon for him.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire misses out with a hamstring injury sustained on international duty.
Manager Erik ten Hag will make a late call on Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, both of whom have resumed training.
Head-to-head
Manchester City could win three consecutive league games against United for the first time since winning four straight matches from April 2013 to November 2014.
Against City, United is in risk of losing for the 18th time in the Premier League, which would be a record for them against one opponent (matching their totals against Liverpool and Chelsea).
No other match has resulted in more victory for the away team in the Premier League than this one, where they have done so 21 times.
