Manchester’s crisis-hit clubs face off in the Premier League with City hosting United at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Leaders Liverpool, playing Fulham at Anfield, will expect to stretch their lead at the top of the table a day before second-placed Chelsea take on Brentford.
Manchester City’s run of one win in 10 games in all competitions is an unprecedented slump for the English champions during Pep Guardiola’s reign.
Guardiola admitted he was questioning himself after the club’s latest defeat – a 2-0 loss at Juventus – left them in danger of missing out on the Champions League knockout stages.
Among a series of eye-catching statistics, City have conceded more goals across all competitions than any other team from Europe’s big five leagues (21 in nine games) since the start of November.
However, despite their horrific run, the blue side of Manchester are still eight points clear of a United team who have tumbled to 13th in the table.
New United manager Ruben Amorim has won just one of his four Premier League games since taking charge at Old Trafford, though he does have recent experience of beating Guardiola’s men, leading Sporting Lisbon to a 4-1 Champions League victory in his final home match with the Portuguese champions.
However, City might not be quaking in their boots – misfiring United have an embarrassing recent record at the Etihad, shipping 13 goals in their past three Premier League matches during three heavy defeats.
Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Arne Slot demanded more from his side after they ground out a 1-0 victory against Girona to keep alive their perfect record in the Champions League.
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The Reds were held 3-3 by Newcastle in their most recent Premier League outing, with last weekend’s Merseyside derby at Everton called off due to high winds.
Slot wants a return to the intensity his men showed in wins against Real Madrid and Manchester City at home.
In-form Chelsea took advantage of Liverpool’s inactivity last weekend to move four points behind the leaders.
The Blues boast the most potent attack in the division and will expect to extend Brentford’s miserable away record when the sides meet at Stamford Bridge, AFP reported.
Arsenal, who host Everton, are a further two points back.
Below are Premier League fixtures scheduled for the weekend:
Saturday
Arsenal v Everton
Liverpool v Fulham
Newcastle v Leicester
Wolves v Ipswich
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa
Sunday
Brighton v Crystal Palace
Manchester City v Manchester United
Chelsea v Brentford
Southampton v Tottenham
Monday
Bournemouth v West Ham
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