Evening Standard
·15. Dezember 2024
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·15. Dezember 2024
Confidence is low in both camps heading into crucial Manchester derby
Man City vs Man United - LIVE!
Manchester City and Manchester United are both in desperate need of a statement result to turn their seasons around as they meet in the Premier League this afternoon. Pep Guardiola’s side are on a shocking run of one win in ten matches, while United are languishing in 13th in the table.
It has been a disastrous six weeks for City, who were beaten again in midweek by Juventus. Their Champions League campaign is in danger of coming to a premature end but they do have the chance to close the gap in the title race after Liverpool’s draw with Fulham. A win here would take City to within six points of the Reds, though they would have played a game more.
Ruben Amorim, meanwhile, is looking to avoid a third straight Premier League defeat. It is a huge week for United, as they face their rivals this afternoon before taking on Tottenham in a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash in midweek. Follow all the action from the Manchester derby with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog below!
Live updates
10 minutes ago
Big news for Manchester United is that Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho are not even on the bench.
No confirmation yet as to why that is - surely has to be injury related.
Mason Mount and Amad Diallo start behind Rasmus Hojlund, while Harry Maguire is preferred to Leny Yoro.
15 minutes ago
Well... there’s not many defenders in that Man City lineup.
Could be a back-four with Nunes or Bernardo at left-back, or maybe a back-three with a couple of players out of position at wing-back.
Either way, Guardiola has been forced to get creative, with Stones only fit enough for the bench.
Foden does start for City, that is a rare bit of positive injury news.
19 minutes ago
Starting XI: Onana, De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez, Mazraoui, Fernandes, Ugarte, Dalot, Amad, Mount, Hojlund
Subs: Bayindir, Lindelof, Malacia, Yoro, Casemiro, Eriksen, Mainoo, Antony, Zirkzee
21 minutes ago
Starting XI: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Nunes, Foden, Doku, Haaland
Subs: Ortega, Stones, Kovacic, Grealish, Savinho, Simpson-Pusey, Mubama, O'Reilly, McAtee
29 minutes ago
Jamie Carragher has suggested Manchester United should sell Bruno Fernandes, believing the club captain will leave Ruben Amorim “tearing his hair out”.
There has unsurprisingly been plenty of talk about upcoming transfer windows already at United, as Amorim looks to overhaul the squad, but is believed that the club must sell to raise funds for any squad rebuild.
“Fernandes has been one of United’s best players during a tough period and would have shone with more quality around him during his Old Trafford career,” Carragher said.
“But he is 30 now and there may be value in offloading him to raise funds. Amorim may see it differently and believe a few more years of Fernandes alongside shrewd additions will serve the team better.
“Selling must be a consideration, however, because Fernandes is one of the few players who can attract a significant fee if profitability and sustainability rules are an issue.
“I’ve always felt Fernandes is a great talent rather than a great player. He creates a lot of chances but can be very indisciplined with and without the ball. That makes it a lot harder for United to defend as a compact unit as he chases the ball all over the pitch.
“It looks like great commitment to the supporters but the manager will be tearing his hair out.”
REUTERS
40 minutes ago
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has played down suggestions he was close to joining Manchester City.
Amorim had built a reputation as one of the most exciting young managers in European football during his time with the Lisbon giants, ending their 19-year wait for a league title back in 2021.
West Ham held talks with him earlier this year, while Liverpool were linked with a move following Jurgen Klopp’s departure.
Hugo Viana, who worked with Amorim at Sporting, was named as Txiki Begiristain’s successor as City’s sporting director in October and was reportedly interested in bringing him to the Etihad Stadium if Pep Guardiola left at the end of the current season.
Amorim, however, soon joined United while Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension at City.
Asked about the links with City, Amorim said: “I never had [conversations]. This was my only option.
"When Manchester United talked to me, I have no doubts because I already had something in my mind that it could be a possibility."
anchester United via Getty Images
51 minutes ago
Stewards are in a bit earlier than necessary...
1 hour ago
Amad Diallo looks to have played down his bust-up with Rasmus Hojlund as Manchester United prepare to face their rivals.
The Red Devils’ hard-fought 2-1 come-from-behind win over Czech side Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday night was overshadowed by a heated row that occurred between the two players following the full-time whistle at Doosan Arena.
Amad and Hojlund engaged in an animated discussion on the pitch after both players appeared to fail to play in the other during promising attacks that took place just seconds apart late in second-half stoppage time.
"Yes (I was aware of that), and for me it's perfect," Amorim said after the match.
"You know, in this moment we need to feel something. If we need to fight each other, it's like a family. For me it's a very, very good sign. We need to feel something and that is important.”
He added: "That is clear [how much both players care]. When you don't care, you don't do nothing. When you care, you fight with your brother, with your father, with your mother. For me, it's a very good sign.
"If I see it is too much, I will go inside the dressing room. But it's their space, they have to talk, to fight and, again, for me it's a very important thing."
Both Amad and Hojlund appeared to stay quiet on their row after the game, but the former has now reached out on Instagram by posting a picture of the duo from the game on his stories and tagging his team-mate along with a heart emoji.
REUTERS
1 hour ago
Any player shown five yellow cards across the first half of the season will serve a one-match suspension.
Unhelpfully for Guardiola, several City stars are close to that mark. Bernardo Silva is on four ahead of the frantic festive fixture schedule, while defenders Manuel Akanji (injured for Sunday) and Ruben Dias are on three.
Rico Lewis will miss Sunday’s clash against Manchester United following the red card he was shown at Crystal Palace for two bookable offences.
Four yellow cards: Bernardo Silva
Three yellow cards: Ruben Dias, Mateo Kovacic, Ederson, Manuel Akanji
AP
1 hour ago
The Manchester clubs met right at the start of the season in the Community Shield.
Bernardo Silva struck late to send it to penalties, where it was locked at 6-6 until Jonny Evans stepped up with a truly terrible spot-kick. Not really his job, to be fair.
Manuel Akanji made no mistake to seal victory for Pep Guardiola’s side.
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