Paul Merson is expecting Manchester City to “edge” out Manchester United when the two rivals face off at the Etihad this weekend.
Both teams head into the derby in pretty poor form, and, writing in his column for Sportskeeda, Merson said he has never seen Pep Guardiola’s side so fragile:
“This has not been Manchester City’s biggest game of the season for the last few years, the Liverpool and Arsenal clashes have been bigger. But with how they are playing now, this fixture has suddenly become very, very important…”
“We’ve all seen City before and if they were a goal down with just 20 minutes left to play, we would still back them to win. But that’s not the case with them anymore.”
Merson believes United could be dangerous on the counter-attack but, despite his misgivings about Guardiola’s men, he is still backing them to secure the three points:
“Like I said, if United can hurt City with pace, they have a chance in this game. They must not sit back and go into a shell while trying to defend all the time. They must take the game to their rivals. I still think City hold the edge here though.”
What score has Merson predicted?
The Sky Sports pundit has gone with a 2-1 win to City. That may not be an emphatic scoreline but home supporters will happily take a victory any which way it comes at the moment.
After losing against Juventus midweek, morale is pretty low but a triumph in the derby could transform the mood around the club.
City team news ahead of the Manchester derby
The Cityzens have six players unavailable for Sunday’s match. Rico Lewis is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season during the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.
John Stones (foot), Nathan Ake (hamstring), Manuel Akanji (pelvis), Oscar Bobb (leg) and Rodri (ACL) are also ruled out.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here