03 March 2024 , 09:26
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Manchester United are certainly the underdogs ahead of Sunday's trip to the Etihad, but Erik ten Hag has been told he has four players who could help spring a shock.
It has been an underwhelming campaign for the Red Devils, who sit sixth in the table, 11 points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa. In contrast, City are vying for yet another title as they aim to repeat last season's historic treble.
Despite the two Manchester residents coming into the game under different circumstances, all hope is not yet lost for Ten Hag. At least, not according to former United defender Mikael Silvestre, who feels his old side boast four players that could hit Pep Guardiola's men where it hurts.
"Clearly the odds are in favour of Manchester City " explained Silvestre. "I’m not even talking about the defeat to Fulham but with the amount of injuries, it’s a tough ask to go and do it (at the Etihad).
“City have lost games this season. They’re not going to lose many more and United won’t have many chances in the game. They’ll have to take every chance that they get. It will be a difficult game, with a lot of defending and running after the ball. And it’s clearly in favour of the City.
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"More than ever, this is going to be a collective effort to grab the three points. You expect your [Marcus] Rashfords, your Brunos [Fernandes] to create chances. In the decisive moments, [Alejandro] Garnacho or Harry Maguire on a set-piece, can step up.
"So, it’s not like the team is lacking weapons. It’s a fair fight as it’s 11v11 but right now, City are clearly more dominant than United."
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Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford are two of four Man Utd players that could hurt Man City according to Mikael Silvestre (NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)It is certainly going to be a tough ask from United's perspective, given City haven't lost on their own patch since the back end of 2022. Guardiola's men haven't tasted defeat at all this year, with their last loss coming back in December away at Aston Villa.
Of the quartet of players mentioned by Silvestre, Garnacho is the only one that can claim to have impressed for United. Rashford and Fernandes are arguably the club's two most influential figures and both have drastically underwhelmed so far this term, with just eight league goals between them.
Ten Hag will be desperate to avoid the sort of humiliation City inflicted on them the last time United visited the Etihad. The reigning champions battered their local rivals 6-3 last season, with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden each bagging a hat-trick.
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