Manchester City vs. Manchester United: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview
Few Manchester United fans will have expected to head into the Premier League fixture with local rivals Manchester City feeling optimistic at the start of the season.
Louis van Gaal's side are unbeaten in four matches and will have gained confidence from the last-gasp draw with runaway leaders Chelsea. Manuel Pellegrini's side are without a win in three matches across all competitions, having lost to Newcastle in Wednesday's Capital One Cup clash.
The Etihad was rocked then, but it will seismically tremble if United escape with a win during Sunday's encounter. Here's all you need to know about the derby date:
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Date: Sunday, Nov. 2
Time: 1:30 p.m GMT, 8:30 a.m ET
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (U.K.)
Live Stream: Sky Go app, NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S. only)
Sloppy City in Need of Quick Improvement
Pellegrini has watched his side concede two goals in each of City's last three matches. This uncharacteristic slackness has seen CSKA Moscow battle from 2-0 down to snatch an unlikely draw, while West Ham and Newcastle dominated the side in simple victories.
After suffering defeat against the Magpies, Pellegrini admitted he is worried. "We did not play well," he said as per Sky Sports. "We didn't move the ball in the way we normally do and we were conceding goals too easily and we did not score the chances that we had."
The Chilean's concerns were absolutely correct, as City's play is currently hampered with sloppiness. Most of this appears to stem from a lack of tempo. A lethargic feeling has ushered over midfield, which has so often been the driving force to victory across the last few years.
Yaya Toure has little desire to move forward like he used to and is slow on the turn, leaving Fernandinho or Fernando exposed when defending against counters. Behind the midfield, Vincent Kompany is being overworked due to Eliaquim Mangala's positional ill-discipline. The Frenchman has proven error-prone since joining from Porto and shouldn't be surprised if he is dropped against the Red Devils.
Football writer SamuelJayC added his thoughts:
Squawka highlighted the difficulties experienced by both centre-backs against West Ham:
Sam Allardyce, who oversaw the Hammers' win over City, noted Mangala as a weakness, per Paul Doyle of the Guardian:
"I think they leave him exposed. He's only just joined the Premier League. They don't protect him – and he's only just got here – [then] the more and more you can get down the side of him, with the space that (Gael) Clichy leaves.
"
Van Gaal's visitors have just the tools to heap pressure on City's defence, as detailed below.
United's Need for Speed
Angel Di Maria has been at the heart of United's recent results because he naturally lifts the side's tempo when he's in possession. As we saw during his tussles with Branislav Ivanovic—which eventually led to the Serb being sent off and United scoring from the resulting foul—he makes progress happen.
Although naturally deployed to the left against Chelsea, Van Gaal would be wise to make sure Di Maria targets the space between City's full-backs and central defenders. As mentioned by Allardyce, this will be particularly important if Mangala starts, as the line between him and Kompany is constantly broken.
The output of United's full-backs will also be significant. Rafael has often struggled in big matches, but he has shown improved form over recent weeks. He needs to exploit any room left by his opposite full-back, while in United's left-back position, Van Gaal may be tempted to start Marcos Rojo over Luke Shaw.
Rojo has played centrally out of necessity for much of the season, but United could use height in the middle if Edin Dzeko is to start alongside Sergio Aguero. Rojo's pace down the left flank can also exploit Pablo Zabaleta, something Patrice Evra wasn't able to do over the years.
As Newcastle showed, City are vulnerable to quick, sweeping counters. They are bound to feel added nerves after the recent run of poor results, while United can head into the match knowing they are major underdogs. After drawing with Chelsea, any points added at the Etihad should be considered a bonus for the rebuilding side.
Victory would bring Van Gaal's team to within one point of City in second. United supporters are undoubtedly waiting for their heroes to make a huge statement and will crave the opportunity to compound misery on Pellegrini's players.
Both sides have reasons to be nervous and optimistic, such is the form of their local rivals ahead of kick-off. It seems an immensely challenging task for United to escape with a win, but the increasing confidence is something few supporters could have expected when Leicester notched their fifth in September.
