Manchester United will go into this game knowing that anything other than a win could spell the end for their title hopes.
It was not too long ago that the Red Devils were at the top of the table and were looking like genuine Premier League contenders. Since then, things have fallen a bit flat though and as a result, they now sit 14 points behind Pep Guardiola’s in-form Manchester City side.
Of course, the Citizens will be the favourites going into the game. But in these big games, form often goes out of the window. And that is exactly what the Red Devils will be hoping.
A win would mean that the gap will be cut to 11 points. And although that would still be a tough task with just 10 games left to be played in the league after tonight, at least there will be some hope. On the other hand, a defeat would leave them 17 points behind their cross-town rivals and at that point, they’d be more in a top four battle than a title race.
Manchester United Predicted XI
Here’s how we think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will line Manchester United up when they take on Manchester City in a must win game:
Dean Henderson
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Victor Lindelof
Harry Maguire
Luke Shaw
Scott McTominay
Fred
Mason Greenwood
Bruno Fernandes
Marcus Rashford
Anthony Martial
Obviously, the odds are stacked against Solskjaer’s side when they take on City. But in the past, we have seen that that is exactly when this Manchester United team is at its best. Hopefully, they can repeat their past heroics one more time.
The attack has failed to deliver recently after playing out three goalless draws but one must also remember that the defence has been as solid as can be. Thus, this should be a very tight game.