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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says his side need to focus on tactics and not emotions in Sunday’s Premier League derby with Manchester United.
City, who won 3-0 at Old Trafford in October, are 15 points above United.
Both sides are in good form, with second-placed City unbeaten in 18 and United only losing once in 2024.
“What I learn from my experience in these types of games is to be more calm, relax, don’t talk about many things,” Guardiola said.
“Just focus on tactics and what you have to do to beat them, not about emotions – because emotions will be there, without doubt.”
This is the first derby since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became co-owner of United and said he wants to knock City “off their perch” within three years.
City have won five of the past six Premier League titles.
“The 80s was Liverpool, 90s United and now we have won seven Premier Leagues in the last 11 or 12 years,” said Guardiola.
“But in 50 or 60 years, there has never been one country where one team always dominates and controls everything. We will try in this organisation to extend this as much as possible for many years.
“Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his people know the diagnosis of their club. I don’t know anything about that club.
“If they said they need two or three years to be there, who am I to say the opposite?”
On Thursday, United boss Erik ten Hag said: “Our form – we are also on a good run. The spirit is very good, we are united. Now we have to make a good gameplan.
“We will prepare well but our players are looking forward to it and I can smell it – I’m excited.
“We know we have to give everything and show a team performance.”
There will be full commentary of the game on BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday, with the build-up starting from Etihad Stadium at 12:00 GMT.
Team news
Manchester City winger Jack Grealish is ruled out after injuring his groin in Tuesday’s FA Cup win at Luton.
Josko Gvardiol is nearing a return from an ankle problem but this game may come too soon for him.
Manchester United manager Ten Hag does not expect any of his players to return from injury on Sunday.
Bruno Fernandes and Raphael Varane both completed Wednesday’s win at Nottingham Forest despite fitness issues and are again expected to be available.
Who’s in form?
Manchester United suffered a 2-1 defeat at home against Fulham last weekend before recovering with a last-minute win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup.
That Cottagers game is their only defeat in the nine matches they have played in 2024.
They sit three points off Tottenham in fifth place, a position which could mean a place in next season’s Champions League.
City, as they often do in the second half of the season, are in flying form. They are unbeaten in 18 games in all competitions, winning 16 of those.
They go into the weekend only one point behind leaders Liverpool as they chase a second consecutive Treble.
Pep Guardiola’s side come into the game on the back of a memorable 6-2 FA Cup win over Luton which saw Erling Haaland score five goals to take his seasonal tally to 27. Kevin de Bruyne’s four assists took his total to 11.
‘Alarm bells going’ – What the pundits say
City have conceded 26 Premier League goals this season, more than title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal, and scored 59 – fewer than the other two teams.
Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha said: “When we talk the old school style, like defensively, this is as bad as City have been.
“But they’re three goals worse off than Arsenal, who say they’re having a great offensive season, to put it back into that context, and it’s super competitive.
“As a defender I just want to be on the field where I know my team is capable of scoring and going out and winning the game as opposed to thinking ‘let’s just hold on so you can get a clean sheet’.”
Ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas wonders if United had more of a defined gameplan under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer than Erik ten Hag.
“With Ole there were some good big games. At least you saw a plan which was defend well and have great breaks, great counter-attacks, and this is exactly what Man Utd don’t have at the moment,” he said.
“I don’t have the perception that they are a solid team at the moment, only looking at the counters that Fulham did to them and the way they were done, it makes the alarm bells go for a very, very long period of time.
“It cannot happen that a top, top team gets done on the counter so many times in one half or over 60 minutes. And this shows that something is lacking.
“I don’t know if it’s gameplan, I don’t know if he has structure. I don’t know what his message is. But definitely if these happen to my team, there would be a lot of alarm bells going on.”
Former United striker Dion Dublin, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast, said: “City should win this four or five, on paper, because of the way they score goals.
“However, when it comes to the pride of the city and being able to leave your house on Monday morning, knowing that you have given blood, sweat and tears, it kind of changes the narrative of the game.
“If Manchester United don’t turn up, they could get done four or five. If they do turn up and every single player does what they can, this could be a close one.”
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton predicted a 6-1 win for City.
“City will win, I’ve got no doubt about that. It’s just a question of how many will they score,” he said.
“If it clicks for City, and Kevin de Bruyne has said he feels like he is getting better by the game, then I just think they could run away with it.”
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Manchester City have won five of their past six games in all competitions against Manchester United, with the exception United’s 2-1 league win at Old Trafford last season.
- City are vying for a sixth Premier League double against United, which would be more than any other side, while they can keep clean sheets in both league meetings against their rivals in a single season for the first time since 1973-74.
- They have scored 10 goals in their past two home games against the Reds, and are vying for three consecutive home league victories against them for the first time since a run of four wins between 1952 and 1955.
- City have lost each of the last 15 league matches versus United in which they fell behind.
Manchester City
- City are unbeaten in 35 home matches in all competitions (W30, D5), one shy of their longest such run under Pep Guardiola, recorded between 2016 and 2018. The club record of 42 matches was set between December 1919 to November 1921.
- They are one short of scoring 600 league and cup goals under Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium. They officially already have 601 in designated ‘home’ games, having netted twice in a Champions League match staged in Budapest in 2021 because of coronavirus complications.
- The Blues are vying to score in a 55th consecutive home match in all competitions, which would equal a club record set between 2012 and 2014.
- Kevin de Bruyne is two goals away from 100 for City in all competitions.
- Rodri is unbeaten in 58 appearances for City in league and cup since a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Spurs on 5 February 2023.
- Erling Haaland has been directly involved in eight of City’s 10 goals in his three Premier League appearances against Manchester United, scoring five times and assisting three more.
- The only City player to net more Premier League goals in Manchester derbies than Haaland is Sergio Aguero, who totalled eight in 13 appearances.
Manchester United
- Erik Ten Hag’s side have won six of their past seven games in all competitions, with last weekend’s defeat by Fulham their only loss in nine league and cup fixtures this calendar year.
- United have scored 18 goals in their last eight Premier League matches, as many as they netted in their opening 18 games of the season.
- They have lost 10 top-flight fixtures this term, two shy of their highest total in a Premier League season (set in 2013-14 and 2021-22).
- Twelve of their 14 league wins this season have been by a single-goal margin.
- Bruno Fernandes is set to make his 150th Premier League appearance. He has failed to score in each of his last 14 top-flight games, though he has created 74 chances, a league-high prior to the latest round of matches.
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