Ruben Amorim leads his Manchester United side to the Etihad on Sunday, taking charge of his first Manchester derby after his appointment at Old Trafford last month.
The 39-year-old is searching for his second Premier League victory, after two consecutive defeats against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest last week.
His only win in the league came against Everton back in the 1st of December, producing a convincing display in the North West, with a similar performance needed this afternoon.
The Red Devils did collect three points in the Europa League in midweek, claiming a 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen, albeit with an outing that wouldn't have impressed the manager.
However, everyone knows all form goes out the window on derby day, with the United fanbase hoping such a saying doesn't come to fruition later on today.
United's last five PL meetings with City at the Etihad
Pep Guardiola's side have endured an uncharacteristic slump in recent weeks, picking up just one win in their last ten outings, coming against Forest last Wednesday.
They've since drawn with Crystal Palace and lost to Juventus in the Champions League - extending their current poor run of form.
The Manchester Derby tends to spring up numerous surprises, something which Amorim's men may need given their recent form against the defending league champions in recent years.
United have lost the last three Premier League meetings with City at the Etihad, with their last victory coming back in the 2020/21 campaign.
The defeats have seen an aggregate scoreline of 13-5, something which the new Red Devils boss will want to amend in his first clash against the club's noisy neighbours.
However, they have tasted victory against City in the last five games, winning 2-0 and 2-1 back in 2021 and 2019 respectively, with Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes on the scoresheet as the win ended the host's 28-game unbeaten run.
If the 39-year-old is to claim another famous win for the club against their city rivals, he will certainly need to drop one player from his starting eleven.
The player who Amorim needs to drop against City
The first few weeks under the new management team have undoubtedly been a period of transition with results going to take time as adaptations are made.
Such a spell has given indications to the new boss of what his strongest side will be, whilst also demonstrating who he can't trust in a starting role.
He may have registered three goals since the arrival of the 39-year-old, but Marcus Rashford has failed to deliver in recent outings, none more so than in the Europa League on Thursday.
The Englishman featured for just 56 minutes during the win, before being replaced by eventual match winner Rasmus Hojlund - who himself deserves a recall.
Rashford failed to register a single shot during his time on the field, looking sluggish and disinterested throughout - leading to journalist Liam Canning dubbing the academy graduate as a "major, major problem".
Any game against a local rival is always a massive day for the supporters with bragging rights on the line in a meeting that either side wants to be on the end of a loss.
However, if Amorim is to avoid such a situation from happening, he must drop the 27-year-old from the side, handing the likes of Hojlund the opportunity to build on his display a couple of days ago.
Comments