Manchester City 0:0 Manchester United

Shark · Apr 24, 2017

the hea said:
Hoping for something like this.

DDG
Valencia Bailly Blind Shaw
Herrera Fellaini
Pogba
Mkhitaryan Rashford Martial

For having so many key injures, that's a bloody great team isn't it?

westmeath · Apr 24, 2017

I think the selection will be Rashford or Martial, not both. 4-3-3. Mikhitaryan and Lingard in the front three with one of the two lads. We will defend deep and break fast. No need to worry about Blind getting caught for pace, there won't be space behind him. Speed of the front three will worry city. They're totally off the boil, can't see us not winning (I am an eternal pessimist).

Vanrouge · Apr 24, 2017

top1whoisman said:
Toure was not happy with the ref yesterday. "Maybe on Thursday we are going to have a better ref, or play without one - I'd prefer that."

He wants to have his (birthday) cake and eat it too.

Borden · Apr 24, 2017

Will Toure get banned for that? Also who is injured/banned for City (if anyone)?

I have a good feeling about this one.

tomaldinho1 · Apr 24, 2017

Paul Merson quote: 'This is a big, big game. Whoever loses this game will be out of the race for the top four. This is winner takes all and it's as simple as that.'

If Man Utd win we still have to navigate Spurs away & Arsenal away. City's run in is relatively straight forward.

Attila · Apr 24, 2017

Shame that Aguero and Silva won't be injured for this.

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Borden · Apr 24, 2017

top1whoisman said:
Martin Atkinson will be the referee for this one.

Could've been worse. Happy it's not Dean or Oliver at least.

Borden · Apr 24, 2017

#07 said:
We're basically a goal down already. This referee hates us.

No Mike Dean and Michael Oliver hate us. Atkinson is just incompetent.

sunama · Apr 25, 2017

Borden said:
Could've been worse. Happy it's not Dean or Oliver at least.

If it was Oliver or Clattenburg, odds on we'd be playing with 10 men and against 12 men.
Those 2 guys always want to be the star of the show.
Mike Dean does get a dishonourable mention, though - he is pretty awful and wants to be the star of the show.

These 3 referees absolutely ruin games.

#07 · Apr 25, 2017

Borden said:
No Mike Dean and Michael Oliver hate us. Atkinson is just incompetent.

My friend you're forgetting Martin Atkinson's greatest hits. Fortunately last year the MEN compiled them: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...chester-united-news-martin-atkinson--11037640

Obviously this doesn't include Atkinson failing to see Luiz's studs going into Fellaini's knee at Chelsea this season.

pocco · Apr 25, 2017

..................De Gea
Valencia Bailly Blind Shaw
..................Fellaini
............Herrera Pogba
....Lingard Rashford Martial

Go for pace and energy up front. Harass their defenders and get runners in behind. Got a feeling Pogba will score an amazing goal and suddenly the pundits will be calling him a revelation.

Giggs86 · Apr 25, 2017

#07 said:
We're basically a goal down already. This referee hates us.

We should be fine as long as we're not facing Chelsea with Atkinson. That's basically playing against 12 men.

whatwha · Apr 25, 2017

Any news on Pogba's injury worry? (Or Bailly/Herrera)

Name Changed · Apr 25, 2017

I'm surprised so many are picking us to win in the predictions.

RedDevil@84 · Apr 25, 2017

Name Changed said:
I'm surprised so many are picking us to win in the predictions.

It is not a highly uneven contest. If it were Chelsea at Bridge, many would have voted for a loss/draw. City are having their own flip-flop season. So there is a decent chance that we could win the match.

Name Changed · Apr 25, 2017

RedDevil@84 said:
It is not a highly uneven contest. If it were Chelsea at Bridge, many would have voted for a loss/draw. City are having their own flip-flop season. So there is a decent chance that we could win the match.

Of course there is.

top1whoisman · Apr 25, 2017

Borden said:
Will Toure get banned for that? Also who is injured/banned for City (if anyone)?

I have a good feeling about this one.

Gundogan & Sagna are out, Stones probably as well. I think that's it. Gabriel Jesus will make his comeback. Fernandinho himself said he'll be fit, Agüero most likely will have no problem, there's little hope that Silva might miss it, but I doubt it. We should've heard by now if Yaya was charged (fecking should be, this doesn't fit the FA = rags narrative).

TMDaines · Apr 25, 2017

TMDaines said:
Feeling confident. Suggest we may see this:

De Gea
Valencia Bailly Blind Shaw
Fellaini Herrera Pogba
Lingard Rashford Mkhi

Feel as if Darmian should be there too, perhaps instead of Mkhi.

Been pondering this, and I think it is better that we go back to the Chelsea blueprint:

De Gea
Bailly Blind
Valencia Herrera Darmian Young
Fellaini Pogba
Rashford Lingard

Difficult to plot this on paper, but it's two centre backs, two auxiliary full backs marking their wingers and two wing backs. Rashford and Lingard running in behind and exploiting Otamendi's weakness to balls over the top.

Quizierda · Apr 25, 2017

Think Mou will approach this one with kind of the same XI he did vs Chelsea.

We may see Young and Darmian in the line-up to provide additional coverage for the defence with hard working players (Young has been doing great this season in this respect!). Moreover I think we will only see one of Martial and Rashford start - would bet it will be Rashford.

top1whoisman · Apr 25, 2017

whatwha said:
Any news on Pogba's injury worry? (Or Bailly/Herrera)

Based on Herrera's comments, I think he's fine and looking forward to playing. I know physioroom created an ankle injury for him, but that's the only source I've heard about it.

“It is going to be the game of the season. We are one point behind them. If we win we have the chance to finish in the top four, if they win it is going to be very difficult,” said the Basque midfielder.

“Make or break? Probably. Both teams are in a good moment so if one of us wins the game we are not going to lose a lot of games, or make mistakes after that. Us or them. It is going to be key.”

“It is going to be a massive game. We are in a very good moment, a very good run and we respect them but we are doing a lot of good things and we have to show it on Thursday.”

Herrera was deployed by United boss Mourinho to snuff out the threat of Chelsea's danger man Eden Hazard at Old Trafford a week last Sunday in the Reds' critical 2-0 win.

Herrera's brilliant execution of the role could see him employed in a similar job against one of City's key midfielders Yaya Toure or Kevin de Bruyne at the Etihad.

“Hazard, for me, has been the best player of the season so far. It was not a very easy job for me but I think I did it right,” recalled Herrera.

“Also the team was very compact so that made it more easy for me. But now I know everyone is talking about it, but I want to forget it. I want to think about winning hopefully on Thursday.”

jderbyshire · Apr 25, 2017

Think it may be similar to the Chelsea line-up.

De Gea
Valencia Bailly Blind Darmian
Herrera Fellaini Pogba Young
Rashford Lingard

Let them have all the ball with their slow build ups, wait for the defensive line to creep up. All about the quick transitions, releasing Jesse and Rashford in behind.

Adam-Utd · Apr 25, 2017

IF we lose then I think we should forget about the league and concentrate strongly on the EL. Catching City will be too hard especially having to go to Tottenham and Arsenal.

If we win/draw then we've got to keep battling. I just hope we don't stretch ourselves too far and end up with nothing.

Should be a good game, can see us being tight and compact and hitting them on the counter. Giving Sterling/Sane/De bruyne as little room as possible has got to be important.

top1whoisman · Apr 25, 2017

Adam-Utd said:
IF we lose then I think we should forget about the league and concentrate strongly on the EL. Catching City will be too hard especially having to go to Tottenham and Arsenal.

If we win/draw then we've got to keep battling. I just hope we don't stretch ourselves too far and end up with nothing.

Should be a good game, can see us being tight and compact and hitting them on the counter. Giving Sterling/Sane/De bruyne as little room as possible has got to be important.

Catching City might (be too hard), but even if we lost, we'd be 3 points behind 4th placed Pool with a game in hand. But I agree that we can't afford to lose this one.

Alabaster Codify7 · Apr 25, 2017

Just can't see us winning. I reckon we'll start cautiously/defensively but will get caught out with a fairly early goal and will then open up and look much better. One of those games I can see us fuming afterwards at not having tested Bravo or the dodgy defence more, coz I can see them being panicky.

2-1 City, is my guess.

AgentP · Apr 25, 2017

Alabaster Codify7 said:
Just can't see us winning. I reckon we'll start cautiously/defensively but will get caught out with a fairly early goal and will then open up and look much better. One of those games I can see us fuming afterwards at not having tested Bravo or the dodgy defence more, coz I can see them being panicky.

2-1 City, is my guess.

The way we have been playing recently, I think we'll start the game with full of energy and aggression the same way we did against Chelsea. But after that, it will be a tight game and the team that scores first will win.

Annihilate Now! · Apr 25, 2017

Borden said:
No Mike Dean and Michael Oliver hate us. Atkinson is just incompetent.

Whilst Atkinson is a Leeds fan, I agree, he's just rubbish all round really.

shield · Apr 25, 2017

Their attack is very good, their defense is quite bad. Could go either way. Think playing 120 min on Sunday will definitely have an effect on their energy levels, but can still see it being one of the toughest matches we have played all season.

cyberman · Apr 25, 2017

This would be a massive win, it means we can afford to draw one game in the run in and still have it in our hands, that's assuming Liverpool win all their games which I can't see happening.
Season defining

Android1974 · Apr 25, 2017

Jaybomb said:
De Gea
Valencia Bailly Blind Darmian
Herrera Pogba
Mkhi Rooney Young
Rashford

In my opinion.

Unless you turn that into a 3-4-3, it doesn't make much sense to play Young there, specially having Navas as their rightback.

El Zoido · Apr 25, 2017

No idea how it's going to go, it's really tough to predict how we're going to play. Thought we'd be cagey against Chelsea and we flew out of the blocks, and I thought we'd storm Anderlecht from the off and we didn't. Reckon we'll make top four if we win though.

Android1974 · Apr 25, 2017

JJ12 said:
DDG

Valencia
Bailly
Blind
Darmien

Pogba
Fellaini
Herrera

Mkhitaryan
Rashford
Martial

I have the feeling Mourinho will be more cautious than that.

Android1974 · Apr 25, 2017

Alabaster Codify7 said:
------------------DDG---------------------
Valencia----Bailly----Blind------Shaw---
--------Herrera-------Fellaini-----------
Mkhitaryan---Lingard--------Martial---
-------------Rashford---------------

SUBS - Rooney (Martial), Pogba (Lingard), Young (Valencia)

Man City 2 - 1 Man United
Aguero, Sane
Rashford

That lineup would give that result, probably. A different, more careful one might not.

Womp · Apr 25, 2017

Whoever wins this match is just about guaranteed top four imo. Liverpool look to be struggling and have played two games more on both Manchester teams, can see them falling out.

Cantonagotmehere · Apr 25, 2017

If United had Rojo available I'd almost be confident. I worry Blind will struggle vs any of their attack. I think they will score a couple, so hopefully United can take their chances. I went for 2-2. If Pogba is out, I'd sadly expect a loss.

RedPed · Apr 25, 2017

I'm feeling good about this and reckon we can beat them but I'd take a draw at this stage and a win against Swansea as that would still keep the pressure on City and Liverpool having to win their games.

I don't know what I'd do with myself if we won this game. The fallout and meltdown would be immense. Especially with how the City fans have been taking the piss out of our 6th place and playing on Thursdays in the Europa League all season. I would love it if we could get both, especially the 4th spot at their expense.

Android1974 · Apr 25, 2017

TMDaines said:
Been pondering this, and I think it is better that we go back to the Chelsea blueprint:

De Gea
Bailly Blind
Valencia Herrera Darmian Young
Fellaini Pogba
Rashford Lingard

Difficult to plot this on paper, but it's two centre backs, two auxiliary full backs marking their wingers and two wing backs. Rashford and Lingard running in behind and exploiting Otamendi's weakness to balls over the top.

The Chelsea formation is better represented like a 4-4-2, I think. And it was designed to stop their most dangerous player, Hazard, who comes from the wing inside. Herrera should be stationed where de Bruyne is going to play, so I think he should feature as an mobile extra midfielder.

Android1974 · Apr 25, 2017

jderbyshire said:
Think it may be similar to the Chelsea line-up.

De Gea
Herrera Bailly Blind Darmian
Valencia Fellaini Pogba Young
Rashford Lingard

Let them have all the ball with their slow build ups, wait for the defensive line to creep up. All about the quick transitions, releasing Jesse and Rashford in behind.

Fixed the formation.

Android1974 · Apr 25, 2017

How are we expecting City to play: in a 4-2-3-1 with Fernandinho-Touré and de Bruyne on the rightwing, or a 4-3-3 with one of them and de Bruyne and Silva in midfield?

el3mel · Apr 25, 2017

Android1974 said:
How are we expecting City to play: in a 4-2-3-1 with Fernandinho-Touré and de Bruyne on the rightwing, or a 4-3-3 with one of them and de Bruyne and Silva in midfield?

This, but it's lined as a 4-1-4-1 more than 4-3-3.

Fernandinho
Sterling - De Bruyne - Silva - Sane
Aguero

They'll desperate to win and will push for it.

Android1974 · Apr 25, 2017

el3mel said:
This, but it's lined as a 4-1-4-1 more than 4-3-3.

Fernandinho
Sterling - De Bruyne - Silva - Sane
Aguero

They'll desperate to win and will push for it.

Yes, you're right, that's a more accurate depiction. So, you think they go all attack and push us back? It seemed to me Guardiola was losing his trust on Sterling and he might not start, leaving the right side for the Belgian. On the contrary, Touré is featuring more and more. I guess much will depend on de Bruyne's position, and Mourinho might be tempted to put Herrera on him, which would be harder with him on the right. And what about Navas, will he keep his position ahead of Zabaleta or Fernandinho?

With that in mind, I expect something more like this:

Caballero
Navas/Zabaleta–Kompany–Otamendi–Clichy/Kolarov
Fernandinho–Touré
de Bruyne–Silva–Sané
Agüero/Jesus

Also, Guardiola won't admit it, but a draw is a much comfortable result for them, due to their easier run of games.

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