Key events
In Sunday’s 2pm games, the champions-elect are having a shocker at Craven Cottage. Elsewhere, it’s Brentford 0-0 Chelsea and Tottenham 2-0 Southampton – unless the Saints can summon a comeback, they’ll be officially relegated.
Pre-game reading
Preamble
Welcome to a derby day to dread, coming at the tail end of seasons for both sides that have been disappointing at best, existential crises at their worst. Of the many psyche-shattering defeats that Manchester City suffered as their imperial armour dramatically fell away, the derby loss in December ranked among the most brutal, as they nursed a fragile lead before imploding to concede twice at the death.
If that felt like a gift to a generationally bad United team, it was one they three away, going on to lose their next three league games as Ruben Amorim talked openly of a relegation battle. Both teams have, relatively speaking, improved since the depths of midwinter but their fragile rebuilding efforts risk being reset today.
The FA Cup aside, City’s remaining target is to steer themselves to a top-five finish; their title defence has long been over, but defeat here would officially end their reign. Uncertainty lies ahead with Pep Guardiola’s stamina waning, a squad in mid-overhaul and Premier League charges still hanging in the air. Still, their cross-town might happily trade places.
Manchester United are currently 14th in the table; they’ve won a third of their league games so far, and are yet to win two consecutively this season. These are statistics which would have seemed impossible even as the sun set on the Alex Ferguson era, yet they barely begin to tell the story. With more protests expected today and fear of irreversible decline, the actual football feels secondary.
Old Trafford is a deeply broken place these days, but it’s still the ground where City fans most want to see their team win. Victory for either side today may be a plaster over festering wounds, but it’s still a win on derby day. Kick-off: 4.30pm BST.
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